WILKES-BARRE PA – Beal Memorial Pace winner Dandy Ideal returned to Pocono Downs in Mohegan Pennsylvania on Saturday, where he was installed as the favorite in the fast $27,500 pace despite five older harness racing foes with career earnings of $4 million. In the end a three year old won the race, but it was the Livestock washing stallion Manolete who took the honors, with a time of 1:49.3 for three consecutive victories on the mountain track.
Manolete is named after a famous bullfighter, and early on driver Brett Beckwith wasn’t afraid to take the bull by the horns and rode out past a quarter of :26.2 to make it to the top. Dandy Ideal finished third, and when the outer layer formed near the :55 half, the pacer who had not raced in 22 days after eight straight wins was kept on the inside.
Manolete dealt with Voukefalas’ first-over challenge until and beyond the 1:21.3 three-quarter mark, then braced for the closers. El Rey, who was in the pocket, went to the Pocono Pike and was almost king for the day. Dandy Ideal tried to get through through the cones, but he may have been in tight conditions and lost third to the closer I Did It Myway; that pair was only a distance away at the finish.
But no one had the right answer today for Manolete, who has earned himself $474,675 for trainer Bruce Saunders and the ownership of M&L of Delaware LLC and M&M Harness Racing LLC.
REPEAT LEVER
There was $17,500 on the line in two class climbing events, one for each course. The pacers were led by the horses sitting all the way around 1-2, with Huntsville gelding Gretzky The Great defending the pocket behind sharp-departing pole sitter Jabbar and waiting for the stretch. Then, in a clash of horses with sporting names, the hockey player caught the basketball player in 1:50.4, making up ground in a final quarter of :27.3 as he won by a neck. Simon Allard rode the winner, now two-for-two for trainer Darren Taneyhill and PT Stable.
The trotting division of the sub-class resulted in a victory for the Bar Hopping second-year gelding Honolulu Hanover, winner in 1:56.3. The lead rider of the meet, Tyler Buter, waited just off the pace and made a big move into the far turn, breaking favorite pacer Camera Man, and thus gifted with the lead, Honolulu Hanover defeated the horse behind the breaker, Te Amo Lindy, by 1¾ lengths; Scudo Hanover lost the photo for second place. Pocono’s lead trainer, Ron Burke, will decide the winner for Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, William Switala and James Martin.
The $16,000 handicap pace for the top claiming pacers saw Spring Break recover from well off the pace to hold off another late charger, Justasec N, by a neck in 1:52.4 for his third win in his last four runs out of the gate. Team Buter/Burke, the Pocono stats leaders, rallied for another victory, here ahead of Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC and Phil Collura.
George Napolitano Jr. won the last race of the day and took top honors on the card with three victories; the doubles included drivers Simon Allard, Brett Beckwith, Matt Kakaley, Anthony Napolitano and Tyler Buter and the only two-time winning trainer, Ron Burke (we noted that Buter and Burke, the race leaders, came together for their pairing).
Monday’s card at 1 p.m. features the eight divisions of the PA Fair Sire Stakes Championships for a total purse of $200,000; the horse in the spotlight will be Lionheart Hanover, a trotter who would become only the second Standardbred to win his points title (from the summer long races) and his championship at both two and three. There will also be a 1 p.m. card on Tuesday. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.pha.org.
For full race results, click here: American trotting results.
From the PHHA/Pocono Downs
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