Photo: Curtis Salonick
By: Jerry Connors, Jr.
WILKES-BARRE PA – Ridge Warren was in the right place at the right time Tuesday afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania – and thus he got to drive Dame Good Time, who equaled the world record for older trotting geldings of a 5/8-mile track with a tremendous 1:50.2 victory during the card’s $27,500 fast-class handicap trot.
Originally Dame Good Time’s trainer Nick Devita had named Pocono’s leading driver Tyler Buter to handle the Chapter Seven gelding, as Buter had qualified him twice at Pocono, but Buter went with the millionaire Ari Ferrari J (both would go off at 11-10, with the “Dame” having $27 more bet to win). Then at scratch time Andy Miller was named, as he had driven the gelding to two recent top-drawer victories at Philly, but Miller and Team Orange Crush had seven babies in to go during a marathon morning qualifying session at Philly (of which they won four), knocking his timetable askew.
So Warren got the drive behind the extremely sharp trotter, and from post five he settled him third as Ari Ferrari J set fractions of :26.4 and :55. Warren right-lined the trotter in the backstretch and the horse responded with a :27 quarter to clear to the lead just after a 1:22.2 three-quarters, then had no trouble in maintaining a safe margin home for owner John Cummins.
The 1:50.2 clocking matched the world standard first set by Hillexotic at Philadelphia in 2023 and then equaled at Scioto twice last year, first by Prince Of Honor and then by Oh Love Magic. The 1:50.2 also lowered the local divisional standard set by Sevruga in 2013 by a tick.
Co-featured were two $15,500 trots for developing horses, the quicker going to the Walner gelding Night Phantom in 1:53.2, a new mark. It had been 655 days since Night Phantom had last won (August 24, 2024, when he was two), but he had been a good second to the sharp Duicinea Hanover in his first start for trainer Anthony Faulkner and owner Jaypaul Hanover, and after driver Matt Kakaley made an early move to the front with the “Phantom,” the issue was never in doubt.
The other subfeature section also was won by driver Kakaley, as the Greenshoe mare Saints Preserve Us set a new mark of 1:55 while returning the longest price of the day, $16.40. Kalaley combined skill with luck behind the Tom Fanning-trained and Joseph Smith-owned trotter, saving ground, then getting an opening when the pocket horse broke late on the far turn, giving them room to use the famous Pocono Pike. The “short route” was enough for Saints Preserve Us to hang a nose decision on the fast-closing favorite Dame On (a bit ironically, a full brother to the new world champion Dame Good Time).
The top $15,000 event for claiming handicap horses on Pocono’s “Trottin’ Tuesday” was won by the Walner gelding Abruzzo, powerful in a 1:51.4 victory for driver Simon Allard and trainer-owner Mark Akins that both gave him a new speed badge and tied him as fastest trotter of the year at Pocono with Southwind Arturo and Endurance. Unfortunately, the story didn’t end there: first Abruzzo was claimed for $25,000 and goes to a new home, and then 37 minutes later Dame Good Time’s race went under the wire.
Matt Kakaley drove three winners on Tuesday; Braxten Boyd and Ridge Warren had two, while no trainer tallied more than once.
After fourteen baby races on Wednesday at Pocono, the pari-mutuel schedule resumes on Saturday at 1 p.m., with the $20,000 featured pace topped by Another C Note, a three-time Pennsylvania Sire Stakes winner and undefeated in seven starts this year; eligibility prevented him from trying the big boys in Toronto, so he’ll prepare for future battles here on Saturday. Also on the Saturday card is driver Brett Beckwith, still eighth in the Pocono win standings despite not competing here since his racing injury on April 12 – with the resilience of the young, he’s down to drive in nine of the ten races.
Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.
WILKES-BARRE PA – Ridge Warren was in the right place at the right time Tuesday afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania – and thus he got to drive Dame Good Time, who equaled the world record for older trotting geldings of a 5/8-mile track with a tremendous 1:50.2 victory during the card’s $27,500 fast-class handicap trot.
Originally Dame Good Time’s trainer Nick Devita had named Pocono’s leading driver Tyler Buter to handle the Chapter Seven gelding, as Buter had qualified him twice at Pocono, but Buter went with the millionaire Ari Ferrari J (both would go off at 11-10, with the “Dame” having $27 more bet to win). Then at scratch time Andy Miller was named, as he had driven the gelding to two recent top-drawer victories at Philly, but Miller and Team Orange Crush had seven babies in to go during a marathon morning qualifying session at Philly (of which they won four), knocking his timetable askew.
So Warren got the drive behind the extremely sharp trotter, and from post five he settled him third as Ari Ferrari J set fractions of :26.4 and :55. Warren right-lined the trotter in the backstretch and the horse responded with a :27 quarter to clear to the lead just after a 1:22.2 three-quarters, then had no trouble in maintaining a safe margin home for owner John Cummins.
The 1:50.2 clocking matched the world standard first set by Hillexotic at Philadelphia in 2023 and then equaled at Scioto twice last year, first by Prince Of Honor and then by Oh Love Magic. The 1:50.2 also lowered the local divisional standard set by Sevruga in 2013 by a tick.
Co-featured were two $15,500 trots for developing horses, the quicker going to the Walner gelding Night Phantom in 1:53.2, a new mark. It had been 655 days since Night Phantom had last won (August 24, 2024, when he was two), but he had been a good second to the sharp Duicinea Hanover in his first start for trainer Anthony Faulkner and owner Jaypaul Hanover, and after driver Matt Kakaley made an early move to the front with the “Phantom,” the issue was never in doubt.
The other subfeature section also was won by driver Kakaley, as the Greenshoe mare Saints Preserve Us set a new mark of 1:55 while returning the longest price of the day, $16.40. Kalaley combined skill with luck behind the Tom Fanning-trained and Joseph Smith-owned trotter, saving ground, then getting an opening when the pocket horse broke late on the far turn, giving them room to use the famous Pocono Pike. The “short route” was enough for Saints Preserve Us to hang a nose decision on the fast-closing favorite Dame On (a bit ironically, a full brother to the new world champion Dame Good Time).
The top $15,000 event for claiming handicap horses on Pocono’s “Trottin’ Tuesday” was won by the Walner gelding Abruzzo, powerful in a 1:51.4 victory for driver Simon Allard and trainer-owner Mark Akins that both gave him a new speed badge and tied him as fastest trotter of the year at Pocono with Southwind Arturo and Endurance. Unfortunately, the story didn’t end there: first Abruzzo was claimed for $25,000 and goes to a new home, and then 37 minutes later Dame Good Time’s race went under the wire.
Matt Kakaley drove three winners on Tuesday; Braxten Boyd and Ridge Warren had two, while no trainer tallied more than once.
After fourteen baby races on Wednesday at Pocono, the pari-mutuel schedule resumes on Saturday at 1 p.m., with the $20,000 featured pace topped by Another C Note, a three-time Pennsylvania Sire Stakes winner and undefeated in seven starts this year; eligibility prevented him from trying the big boys in Toronto, so he’ll prepare for future battles here on Saturday. Also on the Saturday card is driver Brett Beckwith, still eighth in the Pocono win standings despite not competing here since his racing injury on April 12 – with the resilience of the young, he’s down to drive in nine of the ten races.
Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.
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