WILKES-BARRE PA — Fancy Desire ($12.80), the 2014 Lynch Memorial winner at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono but winless in 23 starts until coming home first last week, made it two straight in Friday night's $24,000 harness racing mares pacing feature here, storming home in 55.1 – 27.2 to complete the sloppy track mile in 1:52.2.
After winning off the pace last week, Fancy Desire was sent frontwards early by driver Anthony Napolitano, making the lead in 27.3, then resting to the half in 57.1, before engaging in the sprinting tactics that enabled the daughter of Real Desire to win by a length over pocketsitting Handsoffmycupcake. Gallie Bythe Beach rallied from second-over to be third, another length back and a neck ahead of the field's lone sophomore, Stacia Hanover, who was 2-5* despite having raced only once in 48 days and who found first-over into such quick back numbers a bit too hard to handle here.
The Daniel Renaud-trained winner sent her bankroll to $108,568 for the season and $461,310 lifetime for owner Robert Di Nozzi.
This was the last Friday night card of 2015 at Pocono; the track will now operate on a Tuesday-Wednesday-Saturday basis until the curtain rings down on November 21. Tomorrow night's feature is a $26,000 pace, in which Bushwacker, second behind a big win by Mach It So in last week's feature, figures to be winging early as he starts from the rail in the eight-horse field.
PHHA / Pocono