WILKES-BARRE PA – The Lis Mara gelding Ontario Success had quite the adventuresome trip going from last at the quarter to first at the finish in the $20,000 pacing feature at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono Saturday night, but he got the job done nicely for harness racing driver Anthony Napolitano in 1:51.2 with the temperature in the cool mid-50s.
Ontario Success did not leave, but the two primary quick starters, Milliondollarwave and Maxdaddy Blue Chip, hooked wheels coming out of the first turn, with several of the horses directly in behind them having their chances severely compromised in the ensuing melee. Napolitano had to go wide in front of the stands to avoid major trouble, but indeed would suffer relatively minor difficulty and went up to third going to the second turn.
Off that bend Ontario Success started a first-over journey, wore down El Bloombito, who had emerged with the lead after the early trouble, then held off the second-over Bruce's Magic by a length. Ron Burke trains the winner of $425,430 for his family's Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC.
Pocono will race as usual Sunday night at 7:30, and then on Monday it switches over to that day's post time at the mountain oval for the rest of the year, 4:30 p.m. The Labor Day Monday card is a great one – the $1.2M+ Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championships for two-year-olds, featuring the undefeated trotting filly Manchego and other stars of the future.
PHHA / Pocono