SECOND RACE – CHROMEO got the top, slowed the half, picked it up down the back to open a good-sized lead, but heard the hoofbeats of TW LAUXMONT in the stretch and was glad the wire came when it did, still with a back half of 57.4. The latter moved out of fourth 5/8 and steadily gained foot by foot, finished very impressively. CAMPBELLINI got the pocket trip, went loose to the leader at the 5/8, but held decently in the sprint home as clearly third-best. FORTUNES ONE got third after racing up between breakers, so-so thereafter. HURRIKANE MC N MAC held stride and got the last check. MIDNIGHT ZETTE was leaving when breaking. KING CAVIAR ran on the first turn. HEZA YANKEEWYNR was away fastest of all but soon made an error, made up good ground to the half, but broke again 11/16. AQUILLO stayed flat early, looked to be moving outside early second turn but miscued.
THIRD RACE – ROUGH ODDS gapped the three leavers on the first turn then tightened in, moved uncovered 5/8 to avoid a total stealing of the pace by the leader, went up quickly to apply heat, paced home in 26.3 in his first start on the year and proved best in a three-horse duel in the last 20 yards. ART N MUSIC was three-wide early then took back to follow early cover, looked at the 3-hole but decided to press on and hit the top 5/16, got away cheaply from the 3/8 to past the 5/8 then had to step it up, raced well but outsprinted home. A BETTORS RISK left between horses to 1/8 command, yielded for the pocket, to the Pocono Pike, had his chance but couldn’t quite summon the needed quickstep. VENERO left, yielded, started struggling to keep up ¾. MATTAROLLA was third-over in a no-go flow, three-wide late turn and along for the last payday. KA MATE never factored. AMERICAN SCHNAPPS gapped second-over.
FOURTH RACE – COUSIN MARY made the lead before the 3/16, yielded to the frontstretch brusher and sat on her backer, to the Pocono Pike, responded with sharp acceleration when underway and won more easily than the margin may indicate. WARRAWEE SUNSHINE rushed in 27.4 in front of the stands to go from fourth to first, was pressured late backstretch and on the turn, very good but outsped late. SYDNEYDREAMWEAVER was second-over, gapped slightly late backstretch but then retightened, wide and not bad in third in the big sprint home. HANDOVER THE ART was forwardly-placed, had a little trouble keeping up in the latter stages. ONEIDA BLUE CHIP moved first-up 9/16 and rushed in 27.2 down the back to pressure the winner, looked a trifle rough midturn searching for more, then fell back. THE OTHER PAIR never achieved prominence
FIFTH RACE – DASH OF DANGER was wide early, then steadily advanced to the lead at the ¼, not threatened throughout while stepping home in 55.3 – 27.3. ASCARYONEHANOVER went to the front, yielded at the ¼, stayed connected to the leader, couldn’t go with that one late but did hold on to second over some late chargers. BRALEY HANOVER moved outside towards headstretch and then wide, finished with a good last 1/8, as did IMINURBLINDSPOT, who closed well late between horses. MY THREE SONS vacated the 3-hole ¾ but couldn’t gain in the sprint. TIEMPO HANOVER was actually fastest off the gate by a small margin, but then took back, outside before the ¾ but not a late factor. BUNKNDUNK fell far behind.
SIXTH RACE – WINBAK PRINCE came up hard after the quarter-mover and made the lead past the 3/8, clear the last 3/8. ULSHOOTUREYEOUTKID came off the rail midturn and angled three-wide before headstretch, made up a lot of ground in a good second. HAPPY NEW YEAR sat in, shuffled on the turn, finally cleared to the Pocono Pike, OK for third. WHATAGAMBLE was three-wide to the 1/8 and two-wide to the ¼ for the lead, saw two brush by, came outside past the 11/16 as the pocket horse gave way, but never gained. FRESH DREAM went to the deep Pike but had little rally. JS MCFLASH tucked early, moved outside 5/8 and got cover late on the backstretch, never picked up his tempo. WANT ME did not make his presence felt. GREAT SOUL made two speed moves than yielded past the 3/8, began to unplug just past the 5/8 and faded badly. WILLEY BITE was leaving four-wide when going offstride.
SEVENTH RACE – DRIVING MISS CRAZY came through at the start and made the lead 3/16, refused to give up the lead and set a fast pace, stayed clear through the stretch despite the 30.2 kicker. HAILEYSGONEDANCING cane uncovered 5/8, had the most of the rest to get the nod for second. EXPLOSIVE VICTORY came out second-over down the back, three-wide headstretch, just outfinished a bunch to get the show dough. WERE GONE was far back, ducked down deep into the Pocono Pike and gained some late. MAGIC SPICE yielded at the 3/16, kept the pocket shut behind the winner until the 9/16, when he could no longer do so despite urging, came back a little bit on the turn, then went to the Pocono Pike but didn’t have much left. SEVRUGA was out with cover 3/16, then left raw, urged 5/16, popped the plugs 3/8, but couldn’t muster enough speed, got into the pocket 9/16 as a horse gapped, empty in the last quarter. PEGASUS POINT and HS CERTIFIED were never in it. HEAVENLY ZETTE gapped far behind the field most of the way.
EIGHTH RACE – BOOK BINGE made the lead going to the initial curve, yielded to the early mover to sit the pocket, to the Pocono Pike and won easily, coming his own last half in 55. ANWAR HANOVER left, raced into the pocket 3/16, stayed connected, outside stretch and just got by the tiring VORACITY for place honors. The latter quarter-moved and set a healthy pace, but did not retain enough speed for the stretch. STIRLING ESCORT went evenly inside. PAN OF STEEL was out at the half but quickly moved back inside, got the last check – the inside “bias” of last night has shown up frequently tonight as well. FATHER SARDUCCI advanced with cover down the back, three-wide headstretch, no further gain. WAGON MASTER got an improved early position, then was left raw into the backstretch, went up in 27.1 but never reached the pocketsitter’s wheel and tired. THE OTHER PAIR never featured.
NINTH RACE – OGDEN BLUE CHIP took the pocket leaving, then moved 3/16 to the lead near the ¼, yielded for the pocket, to the Pocono Pike and gradually worked his way past SONNY SOMEWHERE. The latter quarter-moved, slowed the half, sped up down the back under pressure from the first-over, shook that one off but then couldn’t handle the challenge to his left. MAJOR BANANAS slightly gapped second-over in the fast third quarter, then tightened in and went three-wide late turn, with good late pace. PIN IT ON ME left quickly to make the front, saw two brush by, sat in, gapped ¾. SEE YOU FRIDAY sat in, then moved three-wide with cover late turn, couldn’t rally enough. PEMBROKE JOEY came raw before the half and rushed the third split in 27 to get a neck advantage before the ¾, but couldn’t sustain his move. WOFFIE WOFFIE and FEARNOT were the last two throughout.
TENTH RACE – HIGHALATOR went to the front towards the first turn, yielded 3/8 and was under tight lines in the pocket, went to the Pocono Pike and stepped away from these without breaking a sweat. CHILLIN MATISSE refused the pocket 3/16 and was hung out that much further before gaining the leader, got a soft middle half, couldn’t match the winner’s speed in the lane but held on for second. YOUCANIKNOW had some early speed, stayed in then backed out past midturn, wide and finished with pace. WITCHITA stacked widest in the stretch and also was going well under the wire. ON CRUISE CONTROL considered leaving but then took back, came out 11/16 and got to the rump of the pacesetter on the turn but no closer, then faded. INNIT HANOVER was never inn it.
ELEVENTH RACE – TWIST OF FATE left between horses determined to gain command, did so after the 26.3 opener, rated the half then met the bold third quarter challenge of REWIND AGAIN, drew away from the field in the stretch. TICA HANOVER was second-over behind good cover to nearing headstretch, where she tipped wide, along for a non-threatening second. SKY FULLA STAR was third-over, gapped, then found better pace in the lane. HOMEGROWN HONEY left strongly and forced the winner past the fast opener, yielded for the pocket, not enough late. REWIND AGAIN was three-wide until the 3/16, then took back to get in third by the ¼, uncovered off turn two and threw major heat on the winner down the back, but gradually weakened a bit the last ¼. PINK ROCK gapped early, wasn’t clear in the lane but not up tight on the ones in front of her. JUST DO IT QUEENY was too far back. KAMPIN KIMMY gapped down the backstretch.
TWELFTH RACE – ITTY BITTY was on top in an itty-bitty amount of time, hung the chalk to the 5/16 then enjoyed a two-hole trip behind her, went to the Pocono Pike and had a strong last 1/16 to draw clear. ROCKIN KASBAH backed off the rail to get to second-over position, three-wide headstretch and had good late steps to edge I DEAL IN KISSES for second. The latter was looped, didn’t want the pocket so pressed on and was on the front by the 5/16, rolled right along, could offer little resistance in the lane. PERPLEXED gapped at a couple of points, evenly inside late. GOTTHISONE HANOVER took a 5-spot 3/16, then was uncovered before the 5/8, advanced to the far turn, then her bid stopped. ANGEL’S PRIDE had to go three-wide midturn and four-wide headstretch, late kick. THE OTHER PAIR did not factor.
THIRTEENTH RACE – MIGRATE BLUE CHIP avoided trouble by racing wide, three-wide to the 3/16, then covered to the ¼, then two-wide raw to the lead 3/8, ran off in the latter stages despite the extra territory covered. JOHNNY O forced the quarter from the pole, yielded, came up the Pocono Pike to get the distant second. TRACTOR GLEN was out the whole quarter to make the lead, yielded 3/8 for the pocket, not too much left for the drive. BULLY PULPIT gapped second-over, OK late. NOX VEGAS BLUECHIP didn’t have much late after racing inside. GAIUS CRASTINUS (named after a soldier of Julius Caesar’s who rose to Primus Pilus Centurion, the highest enlisted army rank) backed outside but never contended. MYELL’S ROCKSTAR was very wide leaving and was taken under a hard hold to tuck back, then came uncovered just before the half, got to within a neck of the place horse before midturn, did not fade all that badly considering the trip.
FOURTEENTH RACE – MORTAL ZIN was looped, pressed on to command past the 3/16, yielded, came out again for the stretch and was along against Pikeshooter TWIN B FAMOUS. The latter tucked then pulled 3/16 to follow the winner frontward, had a horse slide out in tight quarters in front of him and went three-wide at the ¼ to the lead 5/16, yielded 3/8, pocket, Pocono Pike, lead past midstretch, just missed. ART’S DRAGON was away in the pocket, eased out just past the 3/16 to follow the winner, shoved a foe three-wide and was looped by that, cover to the 5/16 then uncovered to the lead 3/8, kept on rolling, tired. SPIRIT OF TRUTH was second-over, three-wide past the ¾, closed well. CAN’T KNOCK ME looped everybody leaving, then had three horses brush by between the ¼ and the 3/8, not enough late. NO SHAME BLUE CHIP was first-up into turn two, advanced some then retreated ¾. THE REST were never major players here.