Pocono Downs and Ocean Downs offer weekend stakes
Last weekend offered serious harness racing fans a chance to see many of the sports top trotters pacers compete in a quartet of lucrative finals at Pocono Downs on Saturday night, while Ocean Downs hosted its second round of Maryland Sire Stakes eliminations for three-year-olds of both gaits and genders.
In the first of the lucrative finals at Pocono Downs last Saturday night, Stonebridge Soul (Tim Tetrick) benefited from patient handling and a two-hole trip to forge a mild 3-1 upset in the $500,000 James Lynch Memorial for three-year-old filly pacers. A daughter of the late Somebeachsomewhere trained by Chris Ryder, Stonebridge Soul sat a pocket trip behind Treacherous Reign (Dexter Dunn) through honest splits of 26, 54.3 and 1:21 through the first three calls, angled to the passing lane and got up late to score in 1:49.3. It was her third win in eight starts this year and pushed her seasonal earnings past $330,000.
Then one race later in the $500,000 Max Hempt Memorial for three-year-old pacing colts, Shake That House (Brian Sears) benefited from a two-hole trip through the first three calls and angled inside late to post a modest 8-1 upset as 45-1 outsider Brassy Hanover (Corey Callahan) rallied form the place spot. A sophomore son of American Ideal trained by Chris Oakes, Shake That House overhauled Captain Victorious in the lane and held safe the late bid of Brassy Hanover to notch his fifth win in six starts this year and push his seasonal earnings past $300,000. Favored Proof offered little at any point.
One race later in the $500,000 Ben Franklin Memorial for older Free-For-All pacers, This Is The Plan (Yannick Gingras) benefited from a two-hole trip behind favored Western Fame (Daniel Dube) through the first three calls then angled inside of that one late and outkicked the first over McWicked (Sears) for a neck score in 1:48.2. Western Fame faded to third despite facing modest pressure from the reigning harness horse of the year.
This Is The Plan, a four-year-old Somebeachsomewhere gelding trained by Ron Burke, picked the ideal time to notch his first win in 10 starts this year and he now sports an 8-10-7 slate and over $900,000 banked in his 41 career outings. This Is The Plan had been a sharp second to Western Fame in their elim one week earlier and in the final he was just a little sharper, overhauling the choice and outkicking the bid from McWicked.
Then one race later in the $500,000 Earl Beal, Jr. Memorial for three-year-old colt trotters, Marseille (Ake Svandtstedt) pulled off the biggest upset on a card filled with them. The sophomore son of Muscle Hill gained command in an honest opener but got a tremendous breather by the half in 57.2, never faced any serious pressure down the backside then was just able to outlast the serious late kick of 1-9 choice Greenshoe (Sears) for a head victory at 57-1 in 1:52.3.
Marseille recorded his second win in four starts this year and pushed his career earnings past $320,000 with the shocking tally, but he was hardly the best horse in the race. Greenshoe was compromised by the slow early tempo and excess cover then was impeded slightly by a breaking rival on the far turn and then finished with a ton of trot after being straightened away. The Father Patrick colt trained by Marcus Melander may have suffered his first setback in four starts this year, but he looms the more likely candidate to capture the Grade I Hambletonian at The Meadowlands in August.
Then on Sunday evening at Ocean Downs, Pats A Keeper (John Wagner), Owzitgoin (Montrell Teague), HS Judy Jetson (Art Stafford, Jr.) and Officer Wholihan (Allan Davis) all posted formful victories in their respective, $7,000 Maryland Sire Stakes eliminations. Only Officer Wholihan was not the post time choice and he was the solid 9-5 second choice in a race where Berzerker (Tony Morgan) was the tepid 8-5 favorite.
Pats A Keeper, Owzitgoin, HS Judy Jetson and Officer Wholihan will all look to continue their winning ways this Sunday evening in their respective $70,000 MDSS finals on the "Summer Showdown" card at the seaside oval. Berzerker certainly has a right to make amends this Sunday in the sophomore pacing colt event, as does Fire N Woodshed, who has been unlucky thus far at the Ocean.
Sunday's MDSS finals will not be the only chance to Maryland-bred harness horses to garner the spotlight. This Friday evening at Yonkers Raceway, Maryland-bred mares Twinkle and Tequila Monday were assigned the two outside slots in the $44,000 Open Handicap for pacing fillies and mares. Twinkle won the Open two starts back, while Tequila Monday rallied from well off the pace to win that event last Friday in 1:50, equaling the all-age track record for pacers of either gender.
Another talented Maryland-bred pacer, Courtly Choice, will look to regain his winning ways in the $250,000 Graduate Final this Saturday night for four-year-old pacers. Hero of both the Meadowlands Pace and the Little Brown Jug last season en route to being the 2018 Maryland-bred harness horse of the year, Courtly Choice was second to The Downtown Bus last week in 1:48 but will look to turn the tables on that one this weekend in the Graduate final.
In the first of the lucrative finals at Pocono Downs last Saturday night, Stonebridge Soul (Tim Tetrick) benefited from patient handling and a two-hole trip to forge a mild 3-1 upset in the $500,000 James Lynch Memorial for three-year-old filly pacers. A daughter of the late Somebeachsomewhere trained by Chris Ryder, Stonebridge Soul sat a pocket trip behind Treacherous Reign (Dexter Dunn) through honest splits of 26, 54.3 and 1:21 through the first three calls, angled to the passing lane and got up late to score in 1:49.3. It was her third win in eight starts this year and pushed her seasonal earnings past $330,000.
Then one race later in the $500,000 Max Hempt Memorial for three-year-old pacing colts, Shake That House (Brian Sears) benefited from a two-hole trip through the first three calls and angled inside late to post a modest 8-1 upset as 45-1 outsider Brassy Hanover (Corey Callahan) rallied form the place spot. A sophomore son of American Ideal trained by Chris Oakes, Shake That House overhauled Captain Victorious in the lane and held safe the late bid of Brassy Hanover to notch his fifth win in six starts this year and push his seasonal earnings past $300,000. Favored Proof offered little at any point.
One race later in the $500,000 Ben Franklin Memorial for older Free-For-All pacers, This Is The Plan (Yannick Gingras) benefited from a two-hole trip behind favored Western Fame (Daniel Dube) through the first three calls then angled inside of that one late and outkicked the first over McWicked (Sears) for a neck score in 1:48.2. Western Fame faded to third despite facing modest pressure from the reigning harness horse of the year.
This Is The Plan, a four-year-old Somebeachsomewhere gelding trained by Ron Burke, picked the ideal time to notch his first win in 10 starts this year and he now sports an 8-10-7 slate and over $900,000 banked in his 41 career outings. This Is The Plan had been a sharp second to Western Fame in their elim one week earlier and in the final he was just a little sharper, overhauling the choice and outkicking the bid from McWicked.
Then one race later in the $500,000 Earl Beal, Jr. Memorial for three-year-old colt trotters, Marseille (Ake Svandtstedt) pulled off the biggest upset on a card filled with them. The sophomore son of Muscle Hill gained command in an honest opener but got a tremendous breather by the half in 57.2, never faced any serious pressure down the backside then was just able to outlast the serious late kick of 1-9 choice Greenshoe (Sears) for a head victory at 57-1 in 1:52.3.
Marseille recorded his second win in four starts this year and pushed his career earnings past $320,000 with the shocking tally, but he was hardly the best horse in the race. Greenshoe was compromised by the slow early tempo and excess cover then was impeded slightly by a breaking rival on the far turn and then finished with a ton of trot after being straightened away. The Father Patrick colt trained by Marcus Melander may have suffered his first setback in four starts this year, but he looms the more likely candidate to capture the Grade I Hambletonian at The Meadowlands in August.
Then on Sunday evening at Ocean Downs, Pats A Keeper (John Wagner), Owzitgoin (Montrell Teague), HS Judy Jetson (Art Stafford, Jr.) and Officer Wholihan (Allan Davis) all posted formful victories in their respective, $7,000 Maryland Sire Stakes eliminations. Only Officer Wholihan was not the post time choice and he was the solid 9-5 second choice in a race where Berzerker (Tony Morgan) was the tepid 8-5 favorite.
Pats A Keeper, Owzitgoin, HS Judy Jetson and Officer Wholihan will all look to continue their winning ways this Sunday evening in their respective $70,000 MDSS finals on the "Summer Showdown" card at the seaside oval. Berzerker certainly has a right to make amends this Sunday in the sophomore pacing colt event, as does Fire N Woodshed, who has been unlucky thus far at the Ocean.
Sunday's MDSS finals will not be the only chance to Maryland-bred harness horses to garner the spotlight. This Friday evening at Yonkers Raceway, Maryland-bred mares Twinkle and Tequila Monday were assigned the two outside slots in the $44,000 Open Handicap for pacing fillies and mares. Twinkle won the Open two starts back, while Tequila Monday rallied from well off the pace to win that event last Friday in 1:50, equaling the all-age track record for pacers of either gender.
Another talented Maryland-bred pacer, Courtly Choice, will look to regain his winning ways in the $250,000 Graduate Final this Saturday night for four-year-old pacers. Hero of both the Meadowlands Pace and the Little Brown Jug last season en route to being the 2018 Maryland-bred harness horse of the year, Courtly Choice was second to The Downtown Bus last week in 1:48 but will look to turn the tables on that one this weekend in the Graduate final.
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