from the PHHA/Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs

Wilkes-Barre PA — The first of four $30,000 Bobby Weiss Series championships takes place this Saturday night (April 19) at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, with late-developing 3- and 4-year-olds who did the best in their four preliminary rounds going behind the gate for the big money.

By far the fastest mile of the prelims was the 1:49.3 victory turned in last Saturday by A Stitch In Time, an altered son of Kent’s On Nuke. But for the championship, race eight on Saturday, A Stitch In Time has drawn the very difficult outside nine-hole for driver George Napolitano, Jr. and is rated at 3-1, second choice behind the horse who was second to him last week, Trys Little Prince (5-2). The Million Dollar Cam gelding received much better luck at the pill shake by getting barrier two for driver Matt Kakaley, the leading driver over Napolitano early in this Pocono season.

Getitoffyourchest had been three for three before last week’s final preliminary, but a combination of the outside post eight and a withering :25.3 opening quarter sapped the son of Tell All of his usual stretch strength, although he was beaten only two lengths. He’s rated at 4-1 on the early line, starting in the championship from post seven for driver Mike Simons.

Somewhere With You had two Weiss wins before last week’s prelim, in which he had bad racing luck although beaten only 1-1/4 lengths; driver Brett Miller will try to get him to bounce back to his winning ways from post six.

Also notching a second Weiss prelim victory was UF Rockin Dragon, who last Saturday stayed close to the pace and had the most finishing; Mark MacDonald will try to make it two in a row with this one as the pair start from the inside.

Also on the big Saturday night card before a dark day for Easter are two $25,000 Preferred handicaps. The third race trotters find the outside post six assigned to Modern Family (2-1, driver Daryl Bier), who has been 1-2 against this type in his last six starts. In the tenth race pace, Abelard Hanover (5-2, driver George Napolitano, Jr.), who set a 1:48 world record on Sun Stakes Saturday here last year, was placed outside in a field of seven after a thrilling 1:48.4 victory last week over a very game Eighteen (3-1 Saturday, post three, driver Mark MacDonald).

Finishing Lines: The other three Weiss championships will take place early next calendar week. Two are slotted for Tuesday: in the male trot, Ray Hall will try to run the table after taking all four of his prelims, while in the female pace a good case could be made for any of a half-dozen top contenders. Such will not be the case in Wednesday’s female trot, when Perfect Alliance will be heavily odds-on again to dominate her competition.