from the PHHA/Pocono
Wilkes-Barre PA — Kiss Me Onthebeach, who set a world record for 3-year-old pacing fillies at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono in August, was a safe frontstepping winner at Pocono in the $16,000 feature on Tuesday evening (Sept. 20), the track’s first card back after a dark week to hold the popular Oktoberfest celebration.
Kiss Me Onthebeach, a daughter of Somebeachsomewhere who rallied from off a lightning pace to rewrite her divisional standard to 1:48.3 in a Sire Stakes contest earlier in the summer at 25-1, was sent off the 1-10 favorite Tuesday and did not disappoint.
Driver Marcus Miller moved the winner of $150,275 to the lead past the :26.4 quarter and posted intermediate fractions of :55.1 and 1:24, then sprinted home in :27.2 to finish 1-1/4 lengths ahead of rallying Dangerousprecedent, who was in turn a half-length to the good of pocket sitting Three Dreams.
Chris Ryder trains Kiss Me Onthebeach for Bella Racing LTD.
In a $14,000 co-featured distaff pace, Sage N rallied up the Pocono Pike to prove most photogenic in a three-way picture in 1:52.3. The Christian Cullen mare, trained by Scott DiDomenico for the partnership of Triple D Stables Inc., JFE Enterprise LLC, and Charles Iannazzo, rallied just enough under the guidance of Pat Berry to catch pacesetting Northern Beauty by a nose, with first-over Girlofyourdreams hanging in tough to miss taking it all by a head.