Jerry Connors gives you a run down in each race on harness racing Sunday at Pocono Downs.
FIRST RACE – WESLYNN DANCER came out of fifth 3/16, had brief cover then onward uncovered to the lead 3/8, absorbed pressure, then drew away. ATABOY HANOVER moved second-over, blindswitched from past the 5/8 through late on the turn, then swung four-wide and was just up to grab second from SKYWAY COBRA. The latter took the pocket early, looked to quarter-move but rethought, was trapped in headstretch, slid clear midstretch and finished sharply. WINNERESS moved three-wide from third-over 5/8, urged on the turn but couldn’t continue to gain significantly. FRANKIE MULLINS tucked third at the 1/8, shuffled to last, came clear too late. MARION GONDOLIER never went to the rail, left uncovered 3/8 as the winner cleared, challenged, faded in the stretch. LADY EAGLE went to the early lead, yielded 3/8 for the two-hole, nothing left for the stretch.
SECOND RACE – CHARMBO CURIOSITY was three-wide past the 1/8, then with cover until the ¼, then out raw battling for the lead, showed great heart in going by the leader on the turn and winning safely. HASTY WESTERN had to check when PANEDICTINE broke before the 3/8, recovered, moved out alertly off the second turn to second-over, not as much as the winner but steadily. MUST BE THE BUNNY came through after the start and was the innermost of the three fastest leavers, yielded at the ¼, shuffled when the pacesetter gave way on the turn, Pocono Pike, OK. FOX VALLEY BAILEY and RAMBLIN BOB were out in the cover flow but were not major factors. JUST THAT made the lead just past the 3/16, under pressure most of the way, gave way on the far turn. ROCKAVELLIAN wasn’t prominent. PANEDICTINE spotted fifth, then made a break just the 5/16.
THIRD RACE – QUEENS LONELY EARL left quickly three-wide for the lead into the first turn, kept a foe out to the ¼, let that one go but retook to the 3/8, then threw successive 28.1s home to leave these in his dust. WESTERN CREDIT was between horses early and looped, went on to ¼ command, yielded 3/8 for the two-hole, no threat to the winner but good to be far clear of the others. STAR STUDDED CAST showed some early foot, yielded, couldn’t keep up in the last ¼. HAILEYSGONEDANCING was no threat; nor was PUT ON THE DAY. CITY KID was second-over, left raw 11/16 after a breaker, couldn’t get close. CASINO CUTIE IT started uncovered into McCarthy’s Corner, not advancing all that quickly when breaking 11/16.
FOURTH RACE – HEZA YANKEEWYNR was on the lead by the 3/16, got a slow half, opened a clear advantage down the backstretch, stayed clear under measuring tactics while looking to tire a little. ALVISI HANOVER was not away quickly, came uncovered starting towards the clubhouse turn, didn’t quite have the speed to reach an open pocket, but tried hard through the lane and was narrowing in. NEOLOGISM was behind dull cover, three-wide much of the final turn and showed a solid late punch. MCADOO was second-over, gapped late on the backstretch, ducked in on the turn. GET TORQED sat the pocket, not enough speed here. FORTUNES ONE offered little. WILL OF THE MONSTER was inside when he broke 5/8, was taken inside the pylons.
FIFTH RACE – WARRAWEE QUALLY moved uncovered past the 3/8, went 27.1 the third quarter to wrest the lead away, not pressured through the lane. CHARMING HILL was originally behind the winner but gapped off turn two and let a foe out, three-wide around that one late turn and finished well for second. NARCIAN JEWEL angled behind the place horse for the stretch and finished steadily. EYRE HOSTESS N sat in, then backed out to second-over in front of a gapper, left uncovered before the ¾, fair late. KEYSTONE I WISH had early speed and yielded, sat in and was shuffled to last with nowhere to go headstretch, fair. ASHOK ACE was three-wide to the first turn, made the lead 5/16, got a second quarter breather, but had no answer for the winner ¾. UNBEAMLIEVEABLE was parked just past the 1/8, yielded 5/16 for the pocket, stuck behind the passed pacesetter, but had little response once clear in the Pocono Pike.
SIXTH RACE – CINNABAR HALL made the lead past the 1/8, went a fast clip and bottomed out the field. MIDNIGHT ZETTE moved out uncovered down the back, slightly off the rail on the turn, had to move wide around the stretch breaker, accomplished that easily and was a good second. THERESNOWAY passed a breaker and tired horses for third. RUN AND TELL PAP yielded past the 1/8, gapped in the pocket a bit from the 3/8 on. EXPLOSIVE VICTORY was far back, three-wide headstretch and along for the last check. BOB N TONY never featured. PILGRIMS TIDE tucked early, came outside before the 5/16 to challenge, couldn’t go by the leader but went into the pocket past the half in front of a gapper, back outside for the stretch but made a break. TAROT left then tucked back fifth early, in the outside flow but gapped from down the backstretch.
SEVENTH RACE—FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS left alertly three-wide and was on top into turn one, yielded 3/16 and stayed close behind a fast pace, found the most foot late in the Pocono Pike to reward Elvis fans. CRITICAL HANOVER left enough to keep a foe out while yielding to the winner, stayed connected pretty well, went between horses past early stretch as the pacesetter bore out a bit, just nipped BLOW BACK. The latter came off the rail raw 11/16 and advanced in the slowish back half (58 – 1:00). PUMA BLUE CHIP gapped the main bunch ¾, then finished decently along the inside. BABY WANTS never reached from two-wide. LADY RAM was looped leaving and was used to the 3/16 for the lead in by far the fastest quarter of the race, continued on the engine but had no late response. LADY ZETTE gapped at a couple of points then broke late. HOLY BONES was last when going offstride on the far turn.
EIGHTH RACE – JK WILDFIRE was looped early and settled third, then came with a quarter move, got a slow middle half, roused once early stretch when MAJOR OFFENSE emerged close-up in the Pocono Pike but was going 27.2 in the last panel, which will win you a lot of maiden races. MAJOR OFFENSE left nicely to the lead past the 1/8, yielded 3/8 for the two-hole, dove down to the Pike and finished strongly. HEARTBEAT HILL started first-up entering the second curve, advanced, did well but outpaced a bit late. LUCK N ROLL K went up the inside late backstretch, swung out midturn but pulled behind a fading horse and had to check and go back to the inside, outside again after clearing that one and did well late. STARVIN MARVIN gapped third-over, then was forced wide past midturn when the second-over horse tired suddenly. PLATINUM had the early pocket, gapped out ¾. MARVALOUS FALCON did not fly tonight. YO CHEYENNE DELEO gapped second-over, then gave way badly in the last ¼.
NINTH RACE – OHIO LARRY started first-over 3/8, was a grindmaster deluxe, never put in a backward step, made the lead approaching deep stretch and held off a competitive field. INDY INGOT was third-over, three-wide past midturn, good but just a little too far to come. CHIP WALTHER was outsped away, had cover then lost it and went on to the lead off the first turn, rated the half then sprinted coming off turn two, was mildly urged ¾ as he could shake nobody, held well but outpaced. WAR-N-MUNN was buried inside, swung into the path behind the winner headstretch, never appeared to be fully clear. SPORTSMANSHIP was the fastest early, yielded, to the deep Pocono Pike, couldn’t get there. THESPYWHOLOVEDME was in a hard spot fourth-over, swung widest in the lane and had pace under the wire. RESCUE PLAN was fast early and got command at the 1/8, yielded for the pocket, to the Pocono Pike, two steps shy here. SOUTHWIND WHISKI was second-over, blindswitched mid-far turn and never escaped the box.
TENTH RACE – The Naps combine behind longshots after the favorite ran on the far turn … FREDDIE MAC was three-wide early then two-wide most of the ¼, yielded to the brusher in front of the stands, gapped off turn two but quickly got tighter, inherited the lead when the pacesetter broke on the turn, then just withstood AUTEUR HANOVER. The latter was looped early and in fourth at the 1/8, then started raw towards turn two, not alongside the leader when he broke, but still had plenty of fight in the stretch (albeit in a 30 kicker). ALEXANDRIA HANOVER tucked early, then found herself in the pocket past midturn, Pocono Pike, steadily. ANOTHER CHAPTER had good cover second-over, three-wide just past midturn, good but not quite good enough. MUAY HANOVER had no clear lane in the stretch. ZAGSTER made two speed moves to control the pace just past the 3/8, was clear midturn when he went to a run. WANNA MAKE MONEY misbehaved an 1/8 before the start.
ELEVENTH RACE – THE ONLY ONE went on three-wide to the 1/8, two-wide to the lead 3/16, yielded for a pocket trip, came out in the stretch and proved the strongest tonight. KANDY KORN left between horses and took back to third, got room in the Pocono Pike right away, just made second over EI EI O. The latter was third-over, made a bad break 5/8 and lost 6-7 lengths, lit back on the trot like a house afire, gained boldly three- and four-wide on the turn and through the stretch – own last quarter 27.3. REIGNINGBLACKSWAN went out to defend the pocket early, then quarter-moved, got a cheap half, but outtrotted home. SONG OF THE VALLEY briefly came out third-over after the backstretch breaker but ducked back in, not a late factor. ON THE SLY worked out a good second-over trip, three-wide late turn, came up empty. SURFACE TENSION made an elongated first-over bid, stepped in 28.3 to challenge down the back, nothing left for the stretch. PEGASUS POINT didn’t do well at all.
TWELFTH RACE – SKY GUY left, yielded to one horse and then retook, rated the half, had no problem tonight. SCHOLZ improved position early, gapped a bit past the 5/8 in a 27.4 third quarter but tightened back in, to the Pocono Pike and nipped ALONEINSPADES for the deuce. The latter was four-high to the 1/8, then down to two-wide to the lead 3/16, yielded for the pocket, came out in the stretch but couldn’t gain. R N NATE came on some from the back to be next in line. ER ROOM was out raw but never near the leaders. NONE OF THE OTHER TRIO ever achieved prominence.
Jerry Connors