Photo: Curtis Salonick
By: Jerry Connors, Jr.
WILKES-BARRE PA – Saulsbrook Victor, a winner in Open handicap company at Woodbine Mohawk in his last start, translated his sharp form upon coming south of the border, winning the $18,500 fast-class handicap pace in 1:48.3 at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania on a cool and misty Saturday afternoon.
Driver Brett MacDonald, co-owner of the winner with Brent Maclennan, had the Source Of Pride gelding flying from the start, clearing to the lead nearing the :26.1 quarter despite the outside post eight, and kept on rolling through fractions of :53.3 and 1:20.4. With his rivals struggling to keep up the last five sixteenths, Saulsbrook Victor, now a winner of $437,583, won handily for trainer Ron MacDonald.
In the quicker of a pair of $17,000 trots for developing horses, the Muscle Mass gelding Deadline Hall went right to the lead and laughed at whatever challenges thrown at him, be they two-wide (before the quarter), three-wide (by the three eighths) or four-wide (from late backstretch), en route to a 1:52.4 lifetime best. George Napolitano Jr. guided the Jeff Cullipher trainee for Pollack Racing LLC.
“George Nap” also captured the other division of this trotting class, as the International Moni sophomore gelding Dejerate Hanover rolled to his seventh straight victory, quarter-moving to command and holding his opposition safe in 1:53.3. Three of the septet of wins have come since moving over to trainer Ron Burke and the partnership of Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, FAC Racing LLC, and Yannick Gingras. Driver Napolitano had five wins on the day; trainer Burke, Pocono’s winningest trainer, had three, including two in collaboration with George.
There was also a $17,000 event for developing male pacers, with Vengeance Blue Chip, off 22 days, able to set a slow pace to the half, then outsprint his rivals in stopping the timer in 1:51.3. The Joe Pavia Jr. trainee, a Captaintreacherous sophomore gelding owned by Vincent Ferriero Jr., John Whitig, Donald Keyser, and Pint Size Racing LLC, was part of the George Napolitano Jr. five-bagger.
In the $16,500 pace for high-priced claiming pacers, Kevin Wallis kept the Christian Cullen gelding Hesa Kingslayer N off of a hotly-contested early pace, followed the move of clearing first-over A Fair Ol Dance N and got to retuck in the pocket nearing the far turn, then caught his fellow Enzed up the inside to post a 20-1 upset in 1:51.3. Trainer Mike Deters co-owns the opportunistic winner with Joel Warner.
Pocono will be racing live programs on Monday and Tuesday, with both having first posts of 1 p.m.; a pair of $15,000 trots for up-and-coming diamondgaiters will be featured on the Monday program. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org
WILKES-BARRE PA – Saulsbrook Victor, a winner in Open handicap company at Woodbine Mohawk in his last start, translated his sharp form upon coming south of the border, winning the $18,500 fast-class handicap pace in 1:48.3 at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania on a cool and misty Saturday afternoon.
Driver Brett MacDonald, co-owner of the winner with Brent Maclennan, had the Source Of Pride gelding flying from the start, clearing to the lead nearing the :26.1 quarter despite the outside post eight, and kept on rolling through fractions of :53.3 and 1:20.4. With his rivals struggling to keep up the last five sixteenths, Saulsbrook Victor, now a winner of $437,583, won handily for trainer Ron MacDonald.
In the quicker of a pair of $17,000 trots for developing horses, the Muscle Mass gelding Deadline Hall went right to the lead and laughed at whatever challenges thrown at him, be they two-wide (before the quarter), three-wide (by the three eighths) or four-wide (from late backstretch), en route to a 1:52.4 lifetime best. George Napolitano Jr. guided the Jeff Cullipher trainee for Pollack Racing LLC.
“George Nap” also captured the other division of this trotting class, as the International Moni sophomore gelding Dejerate Hanover rolled to his seventh straight victory, quarter-moving to command and holding his opposition safe in 1:53.3. Three of the septet of wins have come since moving over to trainer Ron Burke and the partnership of Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, FAC Racing LLC, and Yannick Gingras. Driver Napolitano had five wins on the day; trainer Burke, Pocono’s winningest trainer, had three, including two in collaboration with George.
There was also a $17,000 event for developing male pacers, with Vengeance Blue Chip, off 22 days, able to set a slow pace to the half, then outsprint his rivals in stopping the timer in 1:51.3. The Joe Pavia Jr. trainee, a Captaintreacherous sophomore gelding owned by Vincent Ferriero Jr., John Whitig, Donald Keyser, and Pint Size Racing LLC, was part of the George Napolitano Jr. five-bagger.
In the $16,500 pace for high-priced claiming pacers, Kevin Wallis kept the Christian Cullen gelding Hesa Kingslayer N off of a hotly-contested early pace, followed the move of clearing first-over A Fair Ol Dance N and got to retuck in the pocket nearing the far turn, then caught his fellow Enzed up the inside to post a 20-1 upset in 1:51.3. Trainer Mike Deters co-owns the opportunistic winner with Joel Warner.
Pocono will be racing live programs on Monday and Tuesday, with both having first posts of 1 p.m.; a pair of $15,000 trots for up-and-coming diamondgaiters will be featured on the Monday program. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org
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