Simeon, held as the 6-5 chalk by the assembled public at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono on Monday, sat behind 7-5 shot Get To Doin It most of the way in the $14,000 claiming handicap trot feature, then won the stretch battle of the favourites by a half-length in 1:55.3.
Simeon, an altered son of Andover Hall who was the 2015 Pennsylvania Fair Sire Stakes champion, picked up career victory number 18, raising his earnings to $122,976. Jim Marohn, Jr. had sulky duty for trainer Toni Freitas, who acquired the horse via claim two starts ago for owners Edward Hall and James Hall, Jr.
It was the second time on the card that Marohn and Freitas had combined successfully; also a double-winning team was driver Marcus Miller and trainer Neal Ehrhart. Their second collaboration was slightly more exciting to their horse’s backers, as the Thunder Road trotting mare Thunderaway, who last hit the board eight starts ago while winning on June 26, overcame both a step-up in class and a first-over journey to take a new mark of 1:55.4 and return $71.20 to the betting faithful. Keystone Trotters LLC owns the winner of $134,492.
Pocono will race tomorrow night (Tuesday) at 6:30 p.m., then resumes its normal schedule of Saturday at 6:30, Sunday at 7:30, Monday at the fall post time of 4:30, and Tuesday at 6:30 until closing day of November 25 (November 20 will be dark).
(PHHA/Pocono)