Tuesday (Feb. 14) brought a second day of qualifying races and the draw for Sunday’s (Feb. 19) second card of the season at the rechristened Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania.
Following Saturday’s opening day, the Sunday card (both at 1 p.m.) will feature a trio of $15,000 events for “non-winners of four races” horses. The second race pacing mares contest looks like a wide-open event, while in the 10th race event for male pacers, Bullville Frank, a good closer, faces lesser but will have to overcome the difficult seven post for driver Anthony Napolitano and trainer Steve Crevani.
The seventh race trot finds Cantstop Yankee (post five, driver Tyler Buter, trainer Deborah Daguet) coming off a 1:56.1 victory in a Monday qualifier, a time which could make him tough in here if he minds his manners, which has not always been the case.
The Stunning Nun N, starting from post two in the $9,000 14th race pace, is that rarest of horses, a horse dropping two classes off a victory! Her earnings in her last five starts when the race was drawn Tuesday morning were $8,060, below the upper limit for this class, but then on Tuesday afternoon at Saratoga, the Bettors Delight Kiwi import closed to take that track’s $17,000 top-level handicap pace in 1:56.1 over the half-miler. Because she “fit” Sunday’s class when the race was drawn, The Stunning Nun N is an “eligible at time of entry (ETE)” horse, and could make it two straight for trainer Kevin Reynolds Jr.
The team of driver Anthony Napolitano, trainer Lance Hudson and owner William Hartt, who had the fastest trotting qualifying winner on Monday (Breckenridge, 1:55.1), turned the same trick for the second straight day when the Crescent Fashion gelding Lonestar Fashion rallied from the pocket to post a nose decision over Friends After Six in 1:57.1. The fast trotter came home in :56.3 - :27.3 to be on the upper side of the photo.
Anthony Napolitano also guided the fastest pacing winner in the Tuesday qualifiers, the Rockin Image gelding Seal O’Neill, home first in 1:55.1. The veteran was on his game coming back to Pocono, going from last to first while pacing his own third quarter in :27.2, then drawing off by three lengths.
Qualifiers and past performances for the races after scratch time can be found on the PHHA website.
(PHHA / Pocono)