By: Jerry Connors, Jr.
WILKES-BARRE PA – The Cantab Hall colt Blackhawk Zette completed a clean sweep of the Bobby Weiss Trotting Series for trotting males on Monday at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, capturing the $50,000 Championship while equaling his lifetime best of 1:54.2.
Four Sixes left strongly from post seven, just outside Blackhawk Zette, and quickly claimed the top; driver Matt Kakaley kept “Zette” gaining ground until wresting command past a :28 opener. The winner kept the lead through middle splits of :57.1 and 1:26.1, holding off the first-over bid of co-prelim sweeper Victor Laszlo, then was in hand holding off the pocketsitter by 1¼ lengths, with Victor Laszlo that same distance behind the second place finisher. Blackhawk Zette is now undefeated in five 2024 trips behind the gate for trainer Robert Baggitt Jr. and owner J L Sadowsky LLC.
In this Weiss group’s $20,000 Consolation, the Greenshoe colt Lammtarra moved out from the pocket behind the very fast pace (:27.1, :55.1, 1:24) set by All Too Well and passed that rival by 2½ lengths to break his maiden in 1:54.1. The $500,000 yearling, whose dam Dream Child has also produced You Ato Dream and Ari Ferrari J, was driven by Mattias Melander for trainer/brother Marcus and the ownership of Courant Inc.
A race later, another Greenshoe colt trained by Marcus Melander, Vic Zelenskyy, out of champion Mission Brief and purchased for $550,000 as a yearling, came uncovered after a slow half, charging home in :56.3 to get his maiden victory in 1:57.2 in only his second lifetime outing. Dexter Dunn was behind the strong-closing colt for S R F Stable and Holly Lane Stud East LTD.
Dunn/McMelander/Greenshoe came back again with the royally-bred colt Skydiver, the $350,000 yearling out of star filly Ariana G, who came out of the pocket to catch pacesetter (and slight favorite) Supernova Hanover, gaining into the :28 back split to take a maiden mark of 1:55.3 for Brixton Medical Inc., Marvin Katz, and Hatfield Stables.
None of these four colts paid more than 6 to 5, but other than these races it was very hard to predict who was getting home first. Three horses paid $50.00 or more to win, this first time that has happened at Pocono since August 17, 2019.
Marcus Melander led all horsemen with three wins, all as trainer; six drivers posted doubles: Braxten Boyd, Tyler Buter, Dexter Dunn, Matt Kakaley, Marcus Miller, and Anthony Napolitano.
The Weiss Series Championships conclude on Tuesday with a $50,000 Championship for three-year-old trotting fillies; Tactical Lori swept her preliminary races but will have no easy time of it, as four of her opponents were double winners in the Weiss prelims. After Tuesday’s 1 p.m. card, Pocono will dark for live racing on Kentucky Derby Saturday, but then the next day starts up its 2024 Sunday series of 6 p.m. cards. Free Pocono programs are or will be available at www.phha.org.
WILKES-BARRE PA – The Cantab Hall colt Blackhawk Zette completed a clean sweep of the Bobby Weiss Trotting Series for trotting males on Monday at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, capturing the $50,000 Championship while equaling his lifetime best of 1:54.2.
Four Sixes left strongly from post seven, just outside Blackhawk Zette, and quickly claimed the top; driver Matt Kakaley kept “Zette” gaining ground until wresting command past a :28 opener. The winner kept the lead through middle splits of :57.1 and 1:26.1, holding off the first-over bid of co-prelim sweeper Victor Laszlo, then was in hand holding off the pocketsitter by 1¼ lengths, with Victor Laszlo that same distance behind the second place finisher. Blackhawk Zette is now undefeated in five 2024 trips behind the gate for trainer Robert Baggitt Jr. and owner J L Sadowsky LLC.
In this Weiss group’s $20,000 Consolation, the Greenshoe colt Lammtarra moved out from the pocket behind the very fast pace (:27.1, :55.1, 1:24) set by All Too Well and passed that rival by 2½ lengths to break his maiden in 1:54.1. The $500,000 yearling, whose dam Dream Child has also produced You Ato Dream and Ari Ferrari J, was driven by Mattias Melander for trainer/brother Marcus and the ownership of Courant Inc.
A race later, another Greenshoe colt trained by Marcus Melander, Vic Zelenskyy, out of champion Mission Brief and purchased for $550,000 as a yearling, came uncovered after a slow half, charging home in :56.3 to get his maiden victory in 1:57.2 in only his second lifetime outing. Dexter Dunn was behind the strong-closing colt for S R F Stable and Holly Lane Stud East LTD.
Dunn/McMelander/Greenshoe came back again with the royally-bred colt Skydiver, the $350,000 yearling out of star filly Ariana G, who came out of the pocket to catch pacesetter (and slight favorite) Supernova Hanover, gaining into the :28 back split to take a maiden mark of 1:55.3 for Brixton Medical Inc., Marvin Katz, and Hatfield Stables.
None of these four colts paid more than 6 to 5, but other than these races it was very hard to predict who was getting home first. Three horses paid $50.00 or more to win, this first time that has happened at Pocono since August 17, 2019.
Marcus Melander led all horsemen with three wins, all as trainer; six drivers posted doubles: Braxten Boyd, Tyler Buter, Dexter Dunn, Matt Kakaley, Marcus Miller, and Anthony Napolitano.
The Weiss Series Championships conclude on Tuesday with a $50,000 Championship for three-year-old trotting fillies; Tactical Lori swept her preliminary races but will have no easy time of it, as four of her opponents were double winners in the Weiss prelims. After Tuesday’s 1 p.m. card, Pocono will dark for live racing on Kentucky Derby Saturday, but then the next day starts up its 2024 Sunday series of 6 p.m. cards. Free Pocono programs are or will be available at www.phha.org.
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