WILKES-BARRE, PA – The Mach Three gelding Rebellious gave driver Anthony Napolitano his sixth of seven winners on the Saturday card at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono when he won the $21,500 featured pace in 1:51.3.
The three-year-old Hitman Hill, favored against more seasoned rivals despite not having raced since his Little Brown Jug elimination, moved to the lead past the 26.2 opener and got a big breather to the 56.2 half. "Anthony Nap" had Rebellious second-over by the 1:24.2 ¾ clocking, and through the lane the sharp pacer, still last at the stretch call, swept past everybody to claim a 1¾ length victory, coming his personal back fractions in 54.1 – 26.2 despite 46-degree temperatures. Michael Deters trains the winner of two straight and 13 races overall in 2018, and co-owns him with Joel Warner; the pair purchased the late-bloomer after he started the 2018 season hot at Pompano for Team Zeron.
In the $18,000 claiming handicap pace co-feature, Onlythetuffsurvive was the first horse to show off the gate, but with constant lead changes and challenges, he found himself fourth-inside past the ¾. But in the stretch the innermost part of the Pocono Pike opened up to the altered son of A Stud Named Sue, and driver Marcus Miller's horse was full of pace to catch Pembroke Wildcat, going for his fourth straight win, in 1:52.1.
Onlythetuffsurvive, who lost a streak of his own last week – he had been second five straight times before going offstride in his last outing – got back to winning form in a big way for trainer Donald Billings and Samuel Abdoo, and paid $51.20 to win in the bargain.
But that price was almost "chalk" considering the previous race, where trotter Atlantic Crest, whose previous three races were a win, a break on the lead, and a win, handled an upgrade in company with aplomb for owner/trainer/driver Sergio Corona, also using the Pocono Pike to win going away and return $98.00 for a two-dollar ticket.
This was the eleventh time this meet that Pocono has had two $50+ winners on one card, and the second in three days – it also happened this past Monday – but the first time that longshots had clicked in successive races since April 3.
Anthony Napolitano's brother George, the meet's leading driver, had three wins on his own Saturday, putting "the Nap brothers" in double digits for the 13-race card.
FINISHING LINES – Pocono goes into high Breeders Crown gear on Monday, when both all supplemental entries must be made and the fields for the two-year-old eliminations, to be raced Friday, will be drawn. Elims for the three-year-olds and the older divisions will be drawn Tuesday and raced Saturday.
From the PHHA/Pocono Downs