Photo: Curtis Salonick
By: Jerry Connors, Jr.
WILKES-BARRE PA – The American Ideal gelding Dandy Ideal finished with an explosive late kick to down fellow millionaires Ken Hanover and Ruthless Hanover in 1:48.3 over a “sloppy” oval while taking the $27,500 fast-class handicap pace Saturday afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania.
Dandy Ideal, Ruthless Hanover and Ken Hanover lined up behind the gate in that order on the right-hand side of the field of six. Dandy Ideal, driven by Braxten Boyd, outleft everybody for early command, with the noted frontrunner Ruthless Hanover continuing up to make the lead and Ken Hanover forced to drop in third before the :26 quarter. “Ruthless,” an engine winner in his last two starts at Pocono, continued on to midsplits of :54.2 and 1:21.4, with favored Ken Hanover getting into the major action uncovered before the latter station.
“Ken” gained on “Ruthless” on the far turn, and the millionaires’ three opponents were not able to stay close, so Boyd had a choice of the inner or outer route with his horse, and he chose to back him out and then swing wide early in the stretch. A big last sixteenth enabled Dandy Ideal to gobble up the embattled front two to win by 1½ lengths over Ken Hanover, with Ruthless Hanover another three quarters of a length behind the winner. Hunter Oakes trains the winner of $1,112,507 for Susan Oakes and Alan Johnston.
The $20,000 subfeature fast-class pace went to the game Always B Miki gelding Congressional, who moved to command in front of the stands and held on to the wire in 1:50.1, with potential pocket rocket American Fling just a half-length behind at the finish. Congressional was driven and is trained and owned by Kevin Wallis, one of three (Tim Tetrick, George Napolitano Jr.) on the select list of the top fourteen active winningest drivers who raced at Pocono Saturday.
Honolulu Hanover, seventh at the half, moved three-wide late in the backstretch and circled his opposition to win the top trot of the day, worth $17,500. The Bar Hopping gelding came from a very tough spot in the 1:56 victory for Pocono’s top driver and trainer, Tyler Buter and Ron Burke, and the ownership of Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, William Switala, and James Martin.
The spoils were well-divided on the Saturday card; driver Braxten Boyd and trainer Chelsey Faurot were the only doublers.
Three $16,000 contests for two-year-olds will be in the spotlight on the Pocono Sunday twilight card at 5 p.m., as the stakes season for two-year-olds starts this coming Saturday (July 4) with a Pennsylvania All-Stars contest for trotting males kicking off the state-sired action. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.
WILKES-BARRE PA – The American Ideal gelding Dandy Ideal finished with an explosive late kick to down fellow millionaires Ken Hanover and Ruthless Hanover in 1:48.3 over a “sloppy” oval while taking the $27,500 fast-class handicap pace Saturday afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania.
Dandy Ideal, Ruthless Hanover and Ken Hanover lined up behind the gate in that order on the right-hand side of the field of six. Dandy Ideal, driven by Braxten Boyd, outleft everybody for early command, with the noted frontrunner Ruthless Hanover continuing up to make the lead and Ken Hanover forced to drop in third before the :26 quarter. “Ruthless,” an engine winner in his last two starts at Pocono, continued on to midsplits of :54.2 and 1:21.4, with favored Ken Hanover getting into the major action uncovered before the latter station.
“Ken” gained on “Ruthless” on the far turn, and the millionaires’ three opponents were not able to stay close, so Boyd had a choice of the inner or outer route with his horse, and he chose to back him out and then swing wide early in the stretch. A big last sixteenth enabled Dandy Ideal to gobble up the embattled front two to win by 1½ lengths over Ken Hanover, with Ruthless Hanover another three quarters of a length behind the winner. Hunter Oakes trains the winner of $1,112,507 for Susan Oakes and Alan Johnston.
The $20,000 subfeature fast-class pace went to the game Always B Miki gelding Congressional, who moved to command in front of the stands and held on to the wire in 1:50.1, with potential pocket rocket American Fling just a half-length behind at the finish. Congressional was driven and is trained and owned by Kevin Wallis, one of three (Tim Tetrick, George Napolitano Jr.) on the select list of the top fourteen active winningest drivers who raced at Pocono Saturday.
Honolulu Hanover, seventh at the half, moved three-wide late in the backstretch and circled his opposition to win the top trot of the day, worth $17,500. The Bar Hopping gelding came from a very tough spot in the 1:56 victory for Pocono’s top driver and trainer, Tyler Buter and Ron Burke, and the ownership of Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, William Switala, and James Martin.
The spoils were well-divided on the Saturday card; driver Braxten Boyd and trainer Chelsey Faurot were the only doublers.
Three $16,000 contests for two-year-olds will be in the spotlight on the Pocono Sunday twilight card at 5 p.m., as the stakes season for two-year-olds starts this coming Saturday (July 4) with a Pennsylvania All-Stars contest for trotting males kicking off the state-sired action. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.
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