Photo: Curtis Salonick
By: Jerry Connors, Jr.
WILKES-BARRE PA – On a day at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania when the weather more resembled the last day of March than the last day of May, the Always B Miki gelding Dublin Dasher continued his winning ways with a 1:52.2 victory over “sloppy” going in the $17,000 feature for developing male pacers.
Dublin Dasher, the favorite, sat in the pocket behind Boston Rocks, the second choice, as that one put up splits of :27.4, :56.1, and 1:24.1, with first-over Beach Bum Parley up to get into the fray at the last-named station. In the stretch those two were joined by Dublin Dasher in the Pocono Pike, and the Dasher had the most late kick to win by two lengths, with Beach Bum Harley winning a photo for second. Hunter Oakes trains the winner of three of six this year and ten of 25 lifetime for Alan Johnston and H O Racing Inc.
Dublin Dasher was driven by Tyler Buter, Pocono’s leading driver and someone who will be sorry to see May end. Buter won 51 races here during the month, including at least one every day of the sixteen cards in which he competed at the mountain oval.
Trotters were featured in two $16,000 events for horses a level below the feature performers. The Fix Is In, an International Moni gelding who was two for three this year including a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes win, was still dismissed at 39-1 by the wagerers, and indeed he was seventh much of the way. But trainer-driver Charlie Norris rallied him from way back to win by a head over Lefties Righties in 1:54.3 for owners Carrie Norris and Max J. Hempt.
In the other spotlight trot, Team Wiest finished 1-2, as 41-year-old trainer Justin Wiest and Hey Therbartender caught favored Attis Rock, trained by Justin’s grandfather Don, who’s 94 years young, in 1:57.4 over the off going. The victorious altered son of Bar Hopping is owned by Paul Britcher Jr. and Debra Jo Britcher.
Braxten Boyd punched and George Napolitano Jr. counterpunched en route to both drivers winning four times in the first eleven races – Boyd would win a race, and three times Napolitano won the next race; in the other, it took George two races to catch back up to Braxten.
Then came the twelfth and last race, the $16,500 fast-class pace. Favored Maxim Hanover took the two-hole behind Combustion (Napolitano), who would not cede the lead to the challenging Hazeville (Boyd). Combustion maintained the lead into the stretch, but looked ripe for the plucking by Maxim Hanover; instead, Combustion, a $539,110-winning son of Captaintreacherous trained by Doug Dilloian Jr. for David Linker, Brian Loman, and Robert Venable, maintained a nose advantage in a 1:50.3 mile to give the day’s honors to Napolitano.
The Saturday card started an excellent week of Pocono racing in which seven of the top ten moneywinning trainers in North America are participants, including the top five – Ron Burke, Per Engblom, Jeff Cullipher, Cory Stratton, and Travis Alexander are joined by Scott Di Domenico and Joe Bongiorno. There will be a Sunday card at 6 p.m., and then racing on Monday and Tuesday beginning at 1 p.m. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.
WILKES-BARRE PA – On a day at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania when the weather more resembled the last day of March than the last day of May, the Always B Miki gelding Dublin Dasher continued his winning ways with a 1:52.2 victory over “sloppy” going in the $17,000 feature for developing male pacers.
Dublin Dasher, the favorite, sat in the pocket behind Boston Rocks, the second choice, as that one put up splits of :27.4, :56.1, and 1:24.1, with first-over Beach Bum Parley up to get into the fray at the last-named station. In the stretch those two were joined by Dublin Dasher in the Pocono Pike, and the Dasher had the most late kick to win by two lengths, with Beach Bum Harley winning a photo for second. Hunter Oakes trains the winner of three of six this year and ten of 25 lifetime for Alan Johnston and H O Racing Inc.
Dublin Dasher was driven by Tyler Buter, Pocono’s leading driver and someone who will be sorry to see May end. Buter won 51 races here during the month, including at least one every day of the sixteen cards in which he competed at the mountain oval.
Trotters were featured in two $16,000 events for horses a level below the feature performers. The Fix Is In, an International Moni gelding who was two for three this year including a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes win, was still dismissed at 39-1 by the wagerers, and indeed he was seventh much of the way. But trainer-driver Charlie Norris rallied him from way back to win by a head over Lefties Righties in 1:54.3 for owners Carrie Norris and Max J. Hempt.
In the other spotlight trot, Team Wiest finished 1-2, as 41-year-old trainer Justin Wiest and Hey Therbartender caught favored Attis Rock, trained by Justin’s grandfather Don, who’s 94 years young, in 1:57.4 over the off going. The victorious altered son of Bar Hopping is owned by Paul Britcher Jr. and Debra Jo Britcher.
Braxten Boyd punched and George Napolitano Jr. counterpunched en route to both drivers winning four times in the first eleven races – Boyd would win a race, and three times Napolitano won the next race; in the other, it took George two races to catch back up to Braxten.
Then came the twelfth and last race, the $16,500 fast-class pace. Favored Maxim Hanover took the two-hole behind Combustion (Napolitano), who would not cede the lead to the challenging Hazeville (Boyd). Combustion maintained the lead into the stretch, but looked ripe for the plucking by Maxim Hanover; instead, Combustion, a $539,110-winning son of Captaintreacherous trained by Doug Dilloian Jr. for David Linker, Brian Loman, and Robert Venable, maintained a nose advantage in a 1:50.3 mile to give the day’s honors to Napolitano.
The Saturday card started an excellent week of Pocono racing in which seven of the top ten moneywinning trainers in North America are participants, including the top five – Ron Burke, Per Engblom, Jeff Cullipher, Cory Stratton, and Travis Alexander are joined by Scott Di Domenico and Joe Bongiorno. There will be a Sunday card at 6 p.m., and then racing on Monday and Tuesday beginning at 1 p.m. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.
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