Ontario Sires Stakes graduate Camaes Fellow won a thrilling $25,000 Preferred Pace on Saturday night at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs and matched a world record in the process.
On a night when the warm temperatures produced sizzling times all night long, it seemed a safe bet that the featured pacers would be responsible for an especially rapid time, even with only five horses in the field. Camaes Fellow (Mach Three-Camae), a five-year-old gelding from the Ron Burke barn, was made the 9-5 second choice behind 8-5 Yonkers invader Something For Doc.
But it was Diamond Stick Pin, who left from the inside post, who set the table with awe-inspiring fractions of :26 even, 53:2, and 1:20:2. That was bad news for Something For Doc, who attempted to get the lead on the front stretch but got parked on the outside for his troubles. Camaes Fellow sat in the pocket and tracked the leader until pulling to the outside in the stretch.
Diamond Stick Pin appeared to have enough left to get home until weakening slightly in the final strides. That’s when driver Matt Kakaley urged Camaes Fellow past at the very end to win by a neck in a stunning time of 1:48:1. Jepson Hanover picked up the show.
That time of 1:48:1 set the new track record for aged geldings on the pace. The old mark of 1:48:2 was set by Pilgrims Toner in 2010 and matched by Hrubys N Luck last June. The time also matched the world record for the age group on a five-eighths mile oval, which was set by Bettor Sweet at Tioga in 2011.
Camaes Fellow, who is owned by Burke Racing, Weaver Bruscemi, and M1 Racing, won for the fourth time in 12 starts this season. It was his 15th career victory, pushing his lifetime earnings to $628,010.
(Pocono)