Camille outduelled Feeling You in a rematch of the rivalry they recently stoked at Yonkers, winning Sunday night’s featured Preferred Pace for mares at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. The race carried the night’s top purse of $25,000.
On April 27 at Yonkers, Feeling You rallied in the stretch to knock off pacesetting Camille in the $250,000 Blue Chip Matchmaker Series final at Yonkers. On Sunday night at Pocono, Camille benefitted from a No. 3 post position in a field of nine, while Feeling You started from the No. 7 hole. Camille was made the 4-5 betting favourite and the five-year-old mare from the Ron Burke barn took the lead around the first turn from early leader Warrawee Koine.
Driver Matt Kakaley was able to rate the speed well aboard Camille (Camluck-Art Of Design) with a :29-second second panel and the mare would need every bit of that energy when Feeling You came at her first-over on the backstretch. The two duelled right to the line before Camille prevailed by a nose in 1:51.1. Warrawee Koine finished third and Economy Terror, a former Breeders Crown winner and two-time Pennsylvania State champ, was fourth in her first start of the season.
Camille, owned by Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi, M1 Stable, and Jack Piatt II, won for the fourth time in six tries this year in what was her first sojourn outside of New York in 2013. The win was also her 24th lifetime and pushed her career earnings to $852,802.
In other action at Pocono on Sunday night, Only In My Dreams (Credit Winner-Invincible Dream), trained by Gail Wrubel and driven by Mike Simons, won a $13,000 condition trot that was run in honour of Bobby Manning. Manning was a longtime Pocono horseman who died a few months ago at the age of 51. The Pocono horsemen gathered en masse in the winner’s circle following the race to honour Manning’s memory.
(With files from Pocono Downs)