The high-price claiming pacers were the highlight of a Sunday (Sept. 4) card at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, with four fields of horses ranging in pricetag from $30,000 to $40,000 contesting purses of $16,500.
Two horses tied for feature race speed honors at 1:51. First to cross the wire – for the fourth straight time – was Hundie N, a Bettors Delight gelding who this week went over to the barn of Chuck Crissman Jr. and continued his winning ways on the engine. George Napolitano Jr., who had four winners to narrow the gap between himself and winningest Pocono driver Matt Kakaley to 188-184, did the sulkysitting for owner Tyler Long. (Surprisingly, none of the four featured winners had their names on slips in the claim box, although seven horses were taken Sunday for $172,500, bringing the Pocono seasonal totals to 452 claims valued at $9,669,775.)
Also going in 1:51 Sunday was the Art Official gelding Indigo Art, who used his patented big backstretch brush en route to winning for driver Tyler Buter and trainer Christopher Walsh, the latter co-owner with Lily Cimino.
Also ruling the roost in the high-level claiming races were a pair of Anthony Napolitano-driven horses: Premier Rockstar, a son of A Rocknroll Dance who last week handled a jump from $20Gs to $30Gs and did so again this week in 1:52 for trainer Dan Maier and Mitchell Standardbreds Inc., and the Bettors Delight gelding Artifact Hanover, returning from Tioga and winning upon coming back to Pocono in 1:51.3 for trainer-owner Brianne Good.
This was the last Sunday card of the 2022 season at Pocono; the basic schedule now shifts to a Saturday-Monday-Tuesday roster at 1:30 p.m. (EDT), though this Saturday (Sept. 10) will be dark. Featured on Labour Day Monday (Sept. 5) will be eight $40,000 Championships for the very competitive Pennsylvania Stallion Series horses, divided into freshmen and sophomores and then by sex and gait.
(PHHA / Pocono)