Younger horses met for $21,528 in a pair of features on Monday (Oct. 6) afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania. One of the headliners was a pace for distaffs, the other a trot.
In the trotting feature, the striking grey Bar Hopping sophomore gelding Messenger Hanover, second in his Stallion Series Championship, won for the second consecutive time, here taking a new mark of 1:54 for driver George Napolitano Jr., trainer Ron Burke, and the partnership of Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Jim Simpson, and J&T Silva- Purnel & Libby. Messenger Hanover (pictured above) set fractions of :27.4, :57.1, and 1:24.4 en route to victory.
The pacing females were headed by the Lazarus N three-year-old filly Shesgotthejack, who stayed connected with the front group behind pacesetter Bequeath (:27.3, :55.3, 1:23.1) as the field raced in two packs of four from before the half. Shesgotthejack tipped wide in the stretch and caught favoured Lily White Hanover, who had come out of the pocket to get the stretch lead, while stopping the clock in 1:52.1. Ridge Warren drove the winner, third in the recent NJ Classic, for trainer Jacob Hartline and Anatolia Racing LLC.
The $17,361 fast-class feature for pacing fillies and mares provided a showcase for the Captaintreacherous mare Stonecoldtreachery, who did not look back while posting fractions of :26.2, :54, and 1:21 en route to success in 1:49.4 for driver Jim Marohn Jr., trainer Juan Cano, and owner Hot Lead Farm.
The Napolitano brothers, Anthony and George Jr., joined Ridge Warren in driving three winners on the Monday Pocono card.
There will be a carryover into the last race High 5 wager on the Tuesday (Oct. 7) 1 p.m. card
(With files from PHHA/Pocono Downs)
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