SECOND RACE – GET TO DO IN left between horses, got to the rail at the 1/8 then yielded to the wide leaver to sit the two-hole, outside headstretch, had a long stretch battle with WILBERFORCE and got the better of that rival. The latter yielded into turn one, gapped slightly at several points in the middle half of the race, then came up the inside near headstretch as the winner pulled out, to the Pocono Pike, very game along the inside but couldn’t quite make it. CLASSICAL ANNIE left three-wide and made the top past the 1/8 in a very fast quarter, followed the fractional pattern of the night, may have been paying for her early exertion late. UPFRONT BILLY came uncovered 5/8 but didn’t really threaten. CINNABAR HALL gapped inside ¾. CAN I SAY and JUSTICE JET were always far back. BY AND BY HANOVER was actually fastest away for the first three steps after the gate sprang, but saw the inside leaders and took back to fifth past the 1/8, ran just before the ¼.
THIRD RACE – MIGRATE BLUE CHIP was three-wide into the first turn then took back to third, moved 3/8 with encouragement, paced very hard but could not clear the flying pacesetter, got ¾ of a length up at the 1:22 ¾ but still didn’t clear on the far turn, then had the biggest motor in the lane. LITTLE WOODY was third-over behind a gapper and went three-wide 5/8, was stuck out there until midturn when the former second-over gapper found another wind and tipped three-wide, forcing WOODY to go four-deep, gamely as best of the rest. SHANE ADAM sat in, had a six-wide wall ahead of him (quite an accomplishment in a seven-horse field!) at the Pocono Pike, chose the winner’s path and came through between horses late to get third. HAVE A PARODI moved second-over 3/8, gapped through the backstretch, then found some more and eased three-deep midstretch, flattened a little. INDY INGOT had to go five-wide headstretch and had little chance. PAN OF STEEL went a Superman-like quarter of 25.3 to put ANWAR HANOVER behind him, got a battle from the winner from before the half on, kept the winner out on the far turn (his odd-numbered quarters = 52.4), tired. ANWAR HANOVER left on the boil but had to take back to the pocket with the railsitter’s intensity, went to the Pocono Pike but made a break shortly after going down inside.
FOURTH RACE – AVENUE HANOVER was looped then outside with cover early, briefly three-wide raw to two-wide raw at the 26.1 ¼ to the lead 5/16, had a 26.4 challenge down the back but proved equal to the task of holding the lead to the wire. IN COMMANDO was uncovered going towards the second turn, was outstanding while battling the leader gamely all the way to the wire. DAVID THE SAINT was second-over, gapped during the fast third quarter then got into a better gear and tried hard to the finish. BRICKMAN was third-over, wide, couldn’t make it. PRINCE PALANI went right to the top, forced a tuck then let the winner go, gapped slightly in the pocket during the quick third split, so-so in the lane. THAT’S MY OPINION and STONEHOUSE ADAM had late pace but were too far back. NAKED CITY left three-wide, was two-wide until tucking in before the ¼, nothing left for the stretch. IDEAL LEGACY A gapped inside.
FIFTH RACE – THE WAYFARING MAN was looped, pressed on and paid a 25.4 price to get the lead just past the ¼, didn’t have that much pressure in the middle half, but had a fresh FORT KNOX coming at him in the Pocono Pike late, and had to be good to preserve the victory. The latter outstepped everybody, forced the brutal quarter then yielded, had his stretch shot up the inside, didn’t miss by much. PREPARTY was second-over, three-wide headstretch, couldn’t reach the top two but beat out the rest. RONNY BUGATTI was first-over on the second turn, grinded, gave a little ground in the last quarter. MACHS BEACH BOY was away third, stayed in, couldn’t factor late. TECHTOR HANOVER and IDEAL MATTERS were too far back to make up the needed stretch ground. LEAN ON YOU sat in, did not have a clear path in the stretch.
SIXTH RACE – SPORTSKEEPER came through at the start and maintained the pocket, came outside 11/16 and went right by midturn, ran off with a good 28.2 last quarter into the wind. JUST GOT PAID had a wheel put under him by a bearing-out STONEBRIDGE ADAM nearing the first turn, suffered a brief “ix” as the first of a chain reaction of “i”s involving the nonleavers, left a gap until the 3/8, moved outside ¾ and paced home a distant second-best; an inquiry into the early situation showed he was not the source of the trouble. I AM THE COWBOY suffered the early “i,” moved outside, fair late. WICKED BUSINESS was at the end of the early chain-“i,” outside 5/8, three-wide headstretch, had some late speed. CHARGER BLUE CHIP may have gotten the worst of the “i” save the “ix”er, inside, cleared between horses in the lane and wasn’t bad. CANT KNOCK ME was three-wide leaving, tucked at the 1/8 in the hole left by the trouble, shuffled around the far turn but didn’t respond once clear. GOODTIME MATT was always far back. STONEBRIDGE ADAM bore out a little leaving and got a wheel under his righthand neighbor, causing much interference, made the top in fast time, had nothing left when challenged into the turn.
SEVENTH RACE – EVEIL DUN CHAMPION left between horses, was looped, got in a higher gear 1/8 and went on to command, strung the field out down the backstretch and then held off his two challengers late. VISIBLE GOLD tucked, came first-over shortly before the half, slowly gained ground and was game late to get second over KEYSTONE CAMARO. The latter was three-wide leading, being hustled and having his earplugs kicked out going to the first turn, did clear to the top, let the winner go to sit the pocket, stayed connected throughout, fought hard for the place. ROCKEN CAMNATION gapped cover down the back then moved up some on the turn, made a small break early stretch but quickly recovered and was a distant next; an inquiry into his break showed no cause for placing. CANE RIDGE was the innermost of three leavers, yielded, gapped out ¾. THE OTHER TWO never factored in this contest.
EIGHTH RACE – SPORTY SPOOK was three-wide to the 1/8, then settled two-wide with cover to the ¼, whereupon he worked up to the lead 3/8 and got a little breather into the wind, had hard pressure from EMPEROR MONTANA N from the 11/16 on, held gamely with urging. The latter started uncovered into turn two, gradually ranged up down the back until hooking up with the winner 11/16, gave him quite a tussle the rest of the way, very admirably late despite drifting out slightly. ARTSMAH was third-over, moved three-wide late turn and closed in, in tight quarters right at the wire when between the top two as the place horse drifted out a bit. TG’S DIVINE SCENE was out a fast quarter to command, yielded 3/8 for the two-hole, struggled a bit the last 3/16. JOHNNY Z left hard, yielded, inside, clearance in the Pocono Pike but had little gain late. ROCK THREE TIMES had cover but was too far back. DR C’S Z TAM never got a call. FEEL THE NEED A was four-wide early, took back to a midpack tuck 3/16, then was well-placed second-over, but didn’t tip out late turn accepting the blindswitch, not a factor late. SHOCK IT TO ‘EM gradually lost contact.
NINTH RACE – GRIFFON HANOVER did not leave but shifted gears as sizing things up about 8 seconds into the race and brushed up to command at the ¼, got a challenge from a quarter-mover which turned out to be a really donnybrook between the two for about the last 5/8 of a mile, had enough to hold, though the last quarter was slowing. WINTER BLAST stayed in, found a sliver of room midstretch and came barreling through. TOMY TERROR quarter-moved in front of a parked horse and went up to challenge but could not summon the speed to brush by, instead grinded gamely a long, long way and was in the fight to the very end. BAGGAGE CLAIM made the top, yielded at the ¼ for the pocket, had his chance in the Pike but couldn’t get a big share. CONNECTING FLIGHT was second-over, went three-wide 11/16 but didn’t gain and so ducked back to two-wide on the far turn and was blindswitched, appeared to be in tight quarters until deep stretch, then eased out a path and had some pace. ONE TO DRAW TO was fourth-over and four-wide on the far turn, not far off from a tough spot although he gained as the pace slackened. LUNATIC FRINGE, wide leaving, had cover from three different horses through past the ¾, then went three-wide, not bad. THE ROCKINATOR was totally boxed in the lane. HOLLYROCK HEYDEN never loomed as a major danger.
TENTH RACE – ORILLIA JOE made CASIMIR JITTERBUG work very hard to get the lead past the 26 quarter, then yielded to sit the pocket behind duelers as the leader and the favorite had a hard battle, was shown the Pocono Pike in the stretch and zipped by easily in the fastest local mile of the year, 1:49.4. BOOK BINGE kept up throughout, started to get some room to move outside before midstretch but had to wait a bit to get full clearance, then came buzzing with strong pace late to nip CASIMIR JITTERBUG for place. The latter was two-wide fully to the 26 quarter and just beyond, then was immediately engaged by AWESOMENESS as those two battled through a 56 middle half, held courageously. AWESOMENESS did not have a sharp leaving start and had cover, lost same just past the ¼ and rushed up, looked to have an almost ¾ of a length advantage heading to turn two but did not have the steps to go by and cross over, and thus was left outside the duration, held bravely after a nightmare trip. CRAFTY MASTER sat inside, gapped on the turn. CITY HALL was last most of the way, threaded a needle midstretch and finished well. VALIDUS DEO spotted midpack then gapped behind the first quarter fireworks, pulled behind the parked horse at the half but gapped. SCOTT ROCKS was far back, went four-wide on the far turn but couldn’t make up the needed ground. ALBERTO CONTADOR N was third-over behind a gapper, went three-wide ¾ but didn’t do much from there.
ELEVENTH RACE – BELIEVEINTHESPIRIT came out raw 3/8 and was at the leader by the half, went 26.1 down the back in a ding-dong duel and went by ¾, opened a big lead, mildly-roused in upper stretch to stay safely clear. E STREET PLAN went out strongly from the rail to get the lead in 26.2, rated the half, then gave another 26.2 spurt but despite that good speed could not keep the winner out, just did hold on to second over ALTA JEROME N. The latter came through rapidly at the start but couldn’t steam by the quick polesitter, a bit hard to back off, did so and sat the pocket, couldn’t keep up during the sprint down the back, came back a little in the Pocono Pike late but couldn’t get the place. ALL WEEK was third-over, three-wide headstretch, next in line in a photo over AMERICANPRIMETIME. The latter was second-over during the wild third split, uncovered ¾, faded. E Z NOAH left, tucked third, no factor thereafter; nor were THE OTHER PAIR.
TWELFTH RACE – I LIKE DREAMIN was a fast starter, yielded to the early brusher and sat in the golden chair, to the Pocono Pike and wore down PANSFORMATIVE in the last 100 feet. The latter quarter-moved from third and went on at a quick clip though the first-over horse never reached, tried to hold on but came up a bit short. PARKLANE EAGLE was widest of four leavers, tucked fourth at the 1/8, stayed in until the stretch, held on for third over IDEAL ROCKY. The latter stayed in, gapped down the back, tried to rally up the inside for the show but came up shy. ONEISALONELYNUMBER never was a major player. PLAYEROSA took the early pocket, then came raw at the half, never quite reached the leader before fading. DEALMAKER gapped second-over. THE OTHER PAIR were not heard from.
THIRTEENTH RACE – GRAVE DANCER left and yielded 3/16, was pinned in early backstretch then just got out 5/8 before TSM LEONIDAS T could come through as his cover drifted wide, advanced on the front end, grinded and got the nod in the decelerating tempo. MYELL’S ROCKSTAR was out 3/16 to make the lead, yielded 5/16 for the pocket, to the Pocono Pike and appeared to get a small lead midstretch, came up just shy. BULLY PULPIT followed three-wide cover on the far turn, tipped wide and narrowed in nicely. ROCK IT SCOTT was outermost of the leavers, four-wide into the first turn, three-wide to the 3/16, then two-wide 5/16 for the top, came up a bit shy at crunch time. NOX VEGAS BLUECHIP went three-wide uncovered at the ¾ but couldn’t make any headway. WESTERN REDHOT was not heard from. TSM LEONIDAS T came out behind the parked horse, advanced briefly two-wide when his cover drifted out to the 5/8, then stopped gaining. HIGGINS was eighth at the start but went up towards the leaders, covered to the 5/16 then left raw, drifted out 5/8 and faded. LOW CARD lost contact the last 1/4.
FOURTEENTH RACE – TWIN B FAMOUS yielded 5/16 for the pocket, had a straight shot headstretch as the leader bore out, won fairly easily. BESTJETYET was three-wide most of the 26.2 1/4, then two-wide just past the 5/16 for the lead and set the pace, started bearing out headstretch and kept drifting slightly, but was game and held second ahead of ONE BAD NIGHT. The latter stayed in, had direct access to the Pocono Pike, lost the fight for second. SI SEMALU was third-over, three-wide before midturn, couldn’t gain enough. INSPIRATION VIEW was fourth-over, four-wide into the stretch and had some late pace. MYSHARONA BLUECHIP left between horses, took back to tuck to the ¼, then offered again at the half, made a good burst to the 11/16 then flattened out. THORN IN YOUR SIDE stayed in, found a path in the lane and had some pace at the wire. CADILLAC PHIL was never a factor. SIR ZIGGY’S Z TAM was very wide leaving, took a 5-spot 3/16, started uncovered before the ½ but then got cover at that point, looked to want to tip three-wide midturn but quickly went back to two-wide, blindswitched, but had little left.