Top action in Great Northeast Series Sunday
May 31, 2018,from the Pennsylvania Harness Horsemen’s Association, in conjunction with The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono and Harrah’s Philadelphia
Chester, PA — The Great Northeast Open Series begins its June action with trotters and pacing mares at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono on Sunday night (June 3) while the male pacers go to the gate at Harrah’s Philadelphia that afternoon.
Recent Down Under import Heaven Rocks A looks to change his luck and maybe his ability to maximize his talent, lining up as the likely favorite at Harrah’s Philadelphia against the male pacers. The Rock N Roll Heaven gelding surged late to miss by a neck in his first series start. Then last week in the $150,000 Commodore Barry Pace, which counted for Great Northeast points, he was a hard-charging second to Filibuster Hanover, who is undefeated his year and No. 3 in the national polls. David Miller will have the steer Sunday for trainer Ross Croghan as the pair starts from post four in race eight.
At Pocono, trotters will go postward in races eight and 10. The first division has the two favorites to the inner part of the gate: Opulent Yankee (driver Andy Miller, post two) and Smalltownthrowdown (Simon Allard, post one). In the second division, Sutton (Andy Miller, post two), who was second behind top-rated Hannelore Hanover in a Great Northeast event last week, faces Classicality (Marcus Miller, post one), coming to town after three straight wins at The Meadows, as well as Homicide Hunter (George Napolitano Jr., post five), making his second start of the year, among other talented foes.
In the mare pace, the inside horses are once more highly regarded. Tequila Monday (Brian Sears, post one) comes to the mountain oval of a sweeping 1:52 victory over the top mares at Yonkers, while Diva’s Image (Andy Miller, post two) looks to continue to be the “overachiever” in her division, with a second and two thirds in the series to date.
The Great Northeast Open Series continues every week at Philly and Pocono throughout the end of August, with the open pacers at one track and the other two groups at the other, and the schedules flipping tracks every week. The top point-earners will be eligible to go for $100,000 over 1-1/4 miles on September 2 at Pocono, the same day the track hosts the $1 million Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championships for three-year-olds.