WILKES-BARRE PA – The rain came to The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono just before the $20,000 featured pace on Saturday night, but the moisture didn't deter Americanprimetime from going wire-to-wire in 1:49.4 over the harness racing surface just rerated to "sloppy."
The victory was far from easy for the 7-5 favorite, however. Starting from the rail with driver George Napolitano Jr., Americanprimetime would not give up the lead to parked challenger and 8-5 second choice Major Uptrend, who refused an early tuck, and the pair dueled past fractions of 27 and 54, continuing towards the ¾ until Major Uptrend start to tire before the station, reached in 1:21.3.
Through the lane Americanprimetime had to hold off the two horses behind him on the inside, but he had enough to keep pocketsitter JJ Flynn at bay by 1¼ lengths at the wire, with El Bloombito another half-length back in third despite broken equipment. The victory was the seventh of the year for Americanprimetime, a son of American Ideal and a winner of $445,919, who is trained by Rick Dane Jr. for the Rock&Roll Stable Inc.
In the $16,500 handicap trot, raced over a "fast" surface, Can I Say, even though she was rising in class, did not catch the fans as unaware as they were last week, when she paid $60.00 – this week the Fourth And One mare made it two in a row, equaling her lifetime mark of 1:53.1 taken here at six in 2015. Tony Morgan handled the sulky duties of the engine winner, who is trained by Doug Berkeley for owners Terry and Clarence Devos and James Whelan.
Tomorrow night at Pocono, two-year-old trotting colts will contest not only $164,355 in three divisions (races 3 through 5) of their Pennsylvania Sire Stakes' final preliminary leg, but they will also be looking to have a big race to ensure themselves of a spot among the eight babies going behind the gate at the mountain oval on Labor Day, Monday, September 4, in their division's $252,000 Sire Stakes Championship.
PHHA / Pocono