Wilkes-Barre, PA — All five of the entrants in Sunday evening’s (May 26) $14,500 fast-class trot at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania had faced each other in their last start, and for the second straight encounter Robbie Pev proved the best, here in 1:53.4.

Robbie Pev holds off the late surge of Southwind Arturo to win Sunday’s featured trot at Pocono. Curtis Salonick photo.

Unlike last week, when the victorious Bar Hopping gelding waited until the stretch to forge to the lead, driver Jim Pantaleano had Robbie Pev moving at the :28.2 quarter, gained the top and put up middle fractions of :57.1 and 1:25.2. Also unlike last week, the main threat to Robbie Pev’s dominance was Southwind Arturo, who made a second move uncovered down the backstretch and kept on coming, only to be a head short at the wire.

The winner of four of his last seven starts, Robbie Pev’s bankroll now stands at $304.856 for trainer Jill Roland and owner Bernard O’Brien.

The feature race was one of the few on the 11-race Pocono card which did not go to a member of the Napolitano clan. Pocono’s all-time leading driver George Napolitano Jr. rolled a natural Pick-4 right out of the gate en route to five wins on the night, narrowing the gap behind Matt Kakaley for the season to 100-97, while brother Anthony posted three triumphs to Tyler Buter’s one to tie Buter for third place in the local colony with 70 visits to Victory Lane.

The Memorial Day Monday holiday card begins at 1 p.m., and features four $30,000 divisions of a Pennsylvania All-Stars contest for 3-year-old trotting fillies; Tuesday’s 1 p.m. performance will then close out the racing week. Free Pocono programs are available at www.phha.org.