The veteran Yankee Glide gelding Blenheim put it all together on Tuesday afternoon at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, winning the featured fast-class trot in a smart 1:53.
Anthony Napolitano, top driver on the day at Pocono with four Tuesday winners, kept the winner of $412,409 in reserve early as The Lionking AS and Magical Journey argued during fractions of :27 and :55.3, then made one solid brush down the backstretch right to the lead by the 1:24.2 third station. Blenheim then widened his lead with every stride he took, leaving a field with $1.8 million in combined lifetime earnings ten lengths or more back at the finish. Lance Hudson trains the winner for owner William Hartt.
Among the younger trotting set, the Walner sophomore gelding Abruzzo won his second straight start, going to the lead past the quarter, setting a moderate pace, then sprinting home in :28 to complete a 1:55 mile 1-3/4 lengths ahead of Bill Bauer. Marcus Miller drove the promising three-year-old for trainer/father Erv and the partnership of Ervin Miller Stable Inc and John Koliopoulos.
The next card at The Downs is the biggest of the year, the $2.2M Sun Stakes Saturday, featuring the top three-year-olds and free-for-allers among both trotters and pacers – half of the current Top Ten are racing at Pocono on Saturday. All of the top drivers are penciled in for many drives on the card as well – in fact, the drivers who won all six featured events last year will be back looking to record their second straight win in the respective contests (or in Åke Svanstedt’s case in the Earl Beal Memorial Trot, a third straight win in the stake).
(PHHA / Pocono)