The five-year-old altered son of Somebeachsomewhere – Sweet Paprika, she a half-sister to Sweet Lou and Bettor Sweet with $6.2M in racetrack earnings, profited from an early break by favorite Alta Jerome N, taking early command then letting Theartofconfusion A go to the top past the quarter. Driver Anthony Napolitano bided his time with Sweet Beach, then came out of the 2-hole and wore down the pacesetter by a half-length for his second straight win, having taken his mark of 1:50 in his last race. Tom Cancelliere trains the talented pacer for brother/owner John.
Rangers Sureshot, claimed by Ron Burke last week for $17,500, stepped up to $25,000/$30,000 company on Saturday and took the $18,000 high-level claiming handicap pace in 1:52.3, just a tick off his lifetime mark.
Driver George Napolitano Jr. and trainer Chris Oakes, who won both the dash winning and percentage titles in their respective categories, were trying for their sixth straight win in this class and had favored Freeneasy Hanover on the lead, but the victorious Palone Ranger gelding made a big sweeping move late on the backstretch to join the leader on the turn, and Rangers Sureshot proved a half-length better tonight than the gritty Freeneasy Hanover.
Matt Kakaley handled the sulky duties behind Rangers Sureshot for trainer Burke and Burke Racing Stable LLC / Weaver Bruscemi LLC – and that trio went home with both the first and second-place finishers in the race, as they claimed Freeneasy Hanover for $25,000 as well.
Earlier, Windsun Stetson joined Terror Aint A Fool as the only two-time "bombers" of the Pocono meet when he won race two for driver Eric Carlson and paid $50.20, as Windsun Stetson had paid $72.20 in victory only three weeks earlier. Carlson wound up with four of the last six $50+ horses in 2016 at Pocono – while Terror Aint A Fool can add the two longshot victoires here to the distinction of being the first $50+ horse at The Meadows in 2016!
PHHA / Pocono