By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Pure Silky took early control from the pole in the $17,000 featured distaff pace Sunday afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, and after establishing the lineup she was not threatened in a 1:52.1 victory.
 
Anthony Napolitano gave no thought to surrendering to anybody at any point of the mile with the Tellitlikeitis mare, and the mare backed up his confident tactics, beating pocketsetter Southwind Java by      four lengths. Pure Silky notched her third straight win, including during both weeks of the early meet here, and she now has earnings of $100,845 for trainer Lance Hudson and owner William Hartt.
 
The victory in the feature for “ANap” was one of three on the day, tying him with Matt Kakaley for the day’s honors. Kakaley, leading driver here last year, has twelve victories in the first four cards of the 2023 meet at Pocono, while Anthony Napolitano is second with eight driving triumphs.
 
With the move to March, Pocono will add a third day of racing to its schedule, with 1 p.m. racing  Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, with each day this coming week also hosting inaugural round action in the popular Game Of Claims Series. Program pages for all Pocono races are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/downsmsppps.html.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The American Ideal gelding Casual Cool was used hard to control the pace, then was able to keep going and held off the lightning late burst of Hemsworth N to win the $19,000 pacing feature Saturday afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania.
 
Casual Cool was involved in a heated :26.4 battle for the lead, letting foes go only to reclaim the top before the :56.2 midpoint. He and driver Eric Goodell passed the three-quarters in 1:24.2 and looked to be in good position, but Hemsworth N, undefeated in three previous U.S. and still sixth at the three-quarters, soared four-wide in the lane and furiously chopped into the margin in the 1:52.2 mile, coming up a head shy.
 
Casual Cool, making his second start of the year, last won in 1:50 at Pocono on October 22; for driver Goodell, the distance between Victory Lane visits was even longer, as the winner of 5853 career races did not compete in 2022 and last tallied on September 17, 2021 at The Meadows. The pair showed themselves sharp in the feature, with the Daniel Renaud trainee, owned by Dune Road Stables LLC, boosting his lifetime bankroll to $595,070.
 
There were also three divisions of a $17,000 event for horses ready to step into the upper levels of class competition. In the section for trotters, Share The Wealth took a new lifetime mark of 1:54.2, clearing early pacesetter Torrone nearing the half then withstanding that rival late by 2 1/4 lengths. The son of Muscle Hill was driven by Matt Kakaley for trainer Hunter Oakes and Elite Harness Racing LLC.
 
There were two divisions of the subfeature for pacing males. The American Ideal gelding American Classic proved himself a game winner in his cut, traveling first-over for driven Braxten Boyd, yet still persevering to be 1¼ lengths ahead of Pocono Piker Something Bettor A in 1:53.2. Mark Silva conditions the winner, who triumphed in his third seasonal start, for owners Daniel and Jean Christophe Plouffe.
 
In the other pace, Stonebridge Reef, a son of Somebeachsomewhere, got the lead early and loafed to the half in :58, then sprinted home in :54.4 to complete a 1:52.4 package a neck to the good of pocketsitter Phoenix Of Fluzzy. Jim Morrill Jr. drove the winner for trainer Chris Ryder, who is also co-owner along with Craig Henderson, Oompa’s Farm Inc., and Robert Mondillo.
 
Matt Kakaley, 2022’s winningest driver at Pocono, also has the lead this season after guiding four winners on Saturday; two of them came for trainer Travis Alexander, who’s atop the trainer standings early in the meet.
 
A division of Saturday’s co-featured class, also racing for $17,000 and restricted to distaffs, will be the feature of Pocono’s Sunday afternoon card, which will begin at 1 p.m. Program pages for all Pocono races are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/downsmsppps.html.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – A trio of $15,000 races for oncoming “nw 4 races lifetime” horses topped the Sunday afternoon card at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Sun Pennsylvania, with the mountain temperatures very non-winterish at about 50 degrees all day.
 
Most impressive in victory was the Whataworkout gelding Cantstop Yankee, who went a huge mile to lower his mark to 1:54.3 in the headline trotting division. Tyler Buter did not back off despite being caught three-wide early, with Cantstop Yankee taking over just past the :28.1 quarter and posting midsplits of :57.2 and 1:25.2, then leaving Dover Dan (his nearest opposition after several lost stride and/or were bothered) thirteen lengths behind under a hold. The Deborah Daguet trainee, sharp in a qualifier earlier in the week after being away for almost three months, showed he may be able to handle better right now for owner Kapildeo Singh.
 
Also posting a lifetime best was the Always B Miki gelding Always Better, who defeated a good field of pacing males in 1:52. C-Bet Hanover made the early top and refused to yield in fractions of :27.3, :56.3, and 1:23.4; Always Better decided to race in the pocket for driver Matt Kakaley, then had room up the inside in the lane and paced by the pacesetter by 1½ lengths. Travis Alexander conditions the fast winner for Lucid Racing.
 
The filly and mare pacing feature saw the Artspeak mare Speak Your Mind settle into the two-hole behind pacesetter Fear Her Touch, then use a back half of :56.1 to go past that one to an easy 2¾ length victory in 1:55.3. Marcus Miller drove the winner for trainer Ivan Llopez and owners Michael Calderone and Frank Cannon.
 
Tyler Buter and Anthony Napolitano each visited Victory Lane three times during the Sunday card.
 
The Downs will have another Saturday – Sunday schedule this coming week, both cards starting at 1 p.m. Program pages for all Pocono races are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/downsmsppps.html.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Pocono Downs at Mohegan Sun Pennsylvania began its 2023 racing season on Saturday under seasonably nice conditions – temperatures above freezing, with no precipitation.
 
A pair of $17,000 events for developing horses were the top races on the inaugural card. In the division for pacers, Mind Hunter kept his record unblemished under the tutelage of trainer Per Engblom, winning his fifth straight race for Morrison Racing Stables. The Captaintreacherous gelding used engine tactics for driver George Napolitano Jr., racing gamely with  a :55.2 last half to hold off threatening two-holer Phoenix Of Fluzzy, coming up the inside, by a neck in a 1:52.3 mile.
 
In the trotting feature, the Walner gelding El Toro Loco set the pace with consistent speed, going both halves in :58 to complete a 1¾ length tally in 1:56. Tyler Buter drove the state stakes graduate for trainer Tom Loughry Jr. and Lone Wolf Stable.

Matt Kakaley and George Napolitano Jr., 1-2 in the driving standings at the mountain oval in 2022, came out hot for the local 2023 season , garnering three victories each.
 
The very first horse to post parade at Pocono in 2023, Paternity Suit A, finished second behind Mac’s Marvel, who was the biggest price of the chalky day at $9.40. Paternity Suit A’s co-owner, Tim Bojarski, got an even nicer bit of news later in the afternoon, when during the U.S. Harness Writers Association’s directors meeting in Florida he was put on the summer election ballot for the Communicators Hall Of Fame.
 
The Downs will be right back in action on Sunday afternoon, with three $15,000 features headlining a 15-race card starting at 1 p.m. Program pages for all Pocono races are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/downsmsppps.html.