By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA –Crossfit minded his manners, controlled the front end from an improved post, and easily won the $12,800 claiming handicap trotting feature on Tuesday afternoon at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
 
Tyler Buter hustled the Donato Hanover gelding to the lead in front of the stands, rated the half, then got a 56.4 back half out of him to finish out the mile in 1:54.4, with pocketsitting Mr Houdini a non-threatening 1¾ lengths back at the wire. Crossfit can be a chancy proposition – he had run in two of his last three starts, but he won the two before that – and was on top behavior today for trainer Susan Marshall, also co-owner with John Marshall.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The Roll With Joe sophomore gelding Scootnroll, unraced at two, is now 9 for 10 lifetime, and for the second straight week he took his revenge over the only horse to defeat him, Billy Lincoln N, by winning a $12,000 pacing contest on the Sunday twilight card at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono in a lifetime best 1:50.2.
 
Scootnroll, leaving from the outside post in the field of seven, worked his way past Billy Lincoln N after a 27.1 quarter, with that foe, who was favored slightly over the winner, content to ride behind to the half in :55.2 and to the three-quarters in 1:23.1, with the leader being joined by first-over Diamond Head at the latter call.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Explosivebreakaway, the full brother to the stakes filly Phaetosive, got to the lead in the last 50 feet to edge Icanflylikeanangel and win the $17,200 trotting feature at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono in 1:53, within a fifth of his lifetime mark despite temperatures hovering in the low to mid 50s.
 
Tom Jackson worked out a second-over trip with the Explosive Matter gelding behind favored Scirocco Rob, who battled hard with pacesetting Icanflylikeanangel down the backstretch and through the far turn. When the uncovered horse tired, Jackson moved wide with Explosivebreakaway, and pocketsitter Warrior One took his shot up the Pocono Pike, but Explosivematter got the photo finish camera’s nod by       a nose, with Warrior One another neck back in third. Fred Grant trains the winner, 13 of 29 lifetime with earnings of $198,464, and he is co-owner along with Janice Rubin, Steve Katz, and Murray Brown.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Despite the fact that it was cool and rainy in the greater Philadelphia area on Friday afternoon, and that two-year-old fillies were featured in the 2020 debut of the John Simpson Sr. stakes series, form held up very well, with almost all the young misses who figured to be close either winning or in the hunt at the wire.
 
Hall of Fame trainer Linda Toscano won two of the three divisions of the $93,602 Razzle Hanover (all Simpson stakes are named after top horses connected with Simpson and/or Hanover) for the pacing set. In one cut, High Minded, the program choice, was let go at 7-2, and she proved her talent to her disbelievers, sitting the pocket behind favored Mackie Hanover and then rallying sharply in taking a 1:53.4 mark while 1½ lengths clear of the pacesetter. Dexter Dunn drove the victorious daughter of Captaintreacherous - Auniqueaquistion for Camelot Stable Inc., Fred Wallace, The Bay’s Stable LLC, and Steve Stewart.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Both Hillexotic and Pat Matters were very impressive in taking the two top trots conducted on the Thursday afternoon card at Harrah’s Philadelphia.
 
In the $12,800 feature for classclimbing youngsters, the Muscle Hill sophomore gelding Hillexotic moved raw at the half and trotted his last half in :56.2 despite 39 days away from the races to win by 4¾ lengths in 1:55. Hillexotic, unraced at two, now has four wins in his last six outings and a $161,540 bankroll for trainer/driver Trond Smedshammer and Purple Haze Stables LLC.
 
In the $11,600 contest for fast-class trotters, the Explosive Matter mare Pat Matters also roared uncovered to the backstretch lead and won by 10½ lengths, with her time of 1:52.3 only three-fifths of a second off the Philly divisional track record co-held by Hannelore Hanover and Arabella’s Cadet. Dexter Dunn was in the sulky for trainer Nifty Norman as the fast distaff raised her earnings to $284,472 for the Patricia Stable.
 
Dexter Dunn and Tim Tetrick, 1-2 in the 2020 moneywinning drivers standings, each had a triple on the Thursday Philly card.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – A pair of Hall of Fame drivers divided up the Liberty Bell stakes series action for three-year-old males on Wednesday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia – David Miller took both $31,300 sections of the pacing event, while Tim Tetrick won in both $37,300 trotting sections. Both of them raced their charges just off the pace, and both of them defeated the race favorite late.
 
Miller started things off by guiding the Sweet Lou gelding Tru Lou to a 1:49.1 mark. The sophomore was able to race in the pocket behind pacesetting Manticore – certainly a better journey than he had having to pace his middle half in :52.3 to get the lead before tiring at Lexington in his last start. He went inside the leader in the lane, then held off the late burst of heavy favorite Allywag Hanover, coming from second-over, by a neck, with Manticore another length back in third. Ron Burke trains the winner for Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Knox Services Inc., and Slaughter Racing Stable LLC.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – With a strong uncovered move down the backstretch, the Prayer I Am mare Mighty Surf went to the lead at the ¾ pole and went on to an easy 1:56.2 victory in the $11,200 claiming trotting feature at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono on Tuesday afternoon.
 
The favored winner came home in :28.4 over a “good” track on a day with the temperature in the mid-50s. Mighty Surf is now two for four since being claimed by trainer Jake Huff and the Beauty Bridle Racing Stable Inc.; Pocono’s “Trot Man,” diagonally-gaited sulky specialist Mike Simons, drove the winner.
 
The well-respected trainer Jenny Melander scored his first career sulky success with the Lionhunter sophomore gelding Hunting AS in a $10,400 contest, rallying from far back to nose out S Class in 1:58. Melander, who has trained the winners of over $5 million, had achieved victories in Racing Under Saddle competition, but this is her first winner to sulky in infrequent career outings. Melander Racing Inc. co-owns the winner with Robert Bernaski.
 
The Napolitano brothers, George Jr. (the track’s leading driver) and Anthony, accounted for half of the fourteen winners on the Tuesday card, with George first four times and Anthony three. The triple gave Anthony 13 winners for the second straight three-card Pocono racing week. And on a day where eight of fourteen favorites were successful, both brothers brought home two of the non-chalk, with winners for George including $7.20 and $37.60 successes, and Anthony piloting horses who paid $12.20 and $35.80.

​WILKES-BARRE PA – Driver Anthony Napolitano remains the hottest pilot at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono – in fact, on the Sunday twilight card at The Downs he dialed up his dominance with six victories, giving him 23 wins in the last five local cards.
 
“Anthony Nap” captured the trotting division of the $12,000 tri-features on the card with the E L Titan trotting colt I Got The Looks, the even-money favorite who came with a big late rally to overhaul 47-1 shot Lazer Jet in the shadow of the wire to take a head decision. The final time of 1:54.2 was a lifetime best for the sophomore Steve Brabrook trainee, who is owned by Wish Me Luck Stables LLC and Jonathan Lapp Jr.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
​WILKES-BARRE PA – Drivers Simon Allard and Anthony Napolitano had the hot hands at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono on Saturday afternoon, with Simon bringing in five winners and Anthony just behind him with four. Surprisingly, the crowd did not catch on to the successful drivers, as each only numbered one favorite among their victories.
 
Simon Allard finished just ahead of Anthony Napolitano three times and his brother George once, with Anthony was first in races where George was second three times and another where Simon was second. George did get a winner in the last race on the card and as usual has far and away the highest seasonal total at The Downs.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
​CHESTER PA – Drivers George Napolitano Jr. and Marcus Miller dominated the Liberty Bell series stakes action on Friday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia, capturing five of the six $30,000 divisions for two-year-old colts, three on each gait.
 
Napolitano deputized for trainer Åke Svanstedt (who was in Lexington establishing a new world record for freshman trotters with Southwind Tyrion), guiding two of Svanstedt’s babies – who had a total of six lifetime starts between them -- to victory. First up was the Southwind Frank – Culmination colt Capstone, who never let anyone get past him and broke his maiden by three lengths in 1:55.3, just three ticks shy of the track record co-held by Rome Pays Off and Captain Corey, for the ownership of Åke Svanstedt Inc. and Stable Why Not.