Blackhawk Zette upsets Ari Ferrari J in thrilling finish

WILKES-BARRE PA – Blackhawk Zette (Cantab Hall) grabbed the early lead in Monday’s $21,000 featured fast-class trot at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, yielded to onrushing harness racing favorite Ari Ferrari J in front of the stands to sit in the two-hole behind him, then rallied in the Pocono Pike to catch him by the smallest possible margin in a 1:54 mile.

Ridge Warren got the victorious son of Cantab Hall to the lead well before the :28.2 quarter, then let the chalk take over the racetrack by a :57.2 half. Hey Porter had to assume first-over duties, and he tussled with the leader past the 1:25.4 three-quarters and into the stretch. When Blackhawk Zette got inside room, the two-horse battle quickly became a three-way tussle, and while Hey Porter battled on after his first-up effort to be just a half-length back at the finish, the innermost two were separable at the finish only via the photo finish camera. Blackhawk Zette, now a winner of $451,374, proved the more photogenic for trainer Robert Baggitt Jr. and owner J L Sadowsky LLC.

BLACKHAWK ZETTE REPLAY

There were a pair of $16,500 contests, one on each gait, for horses just a rung on the classladder below the featured event. The companion trot was won by the Walner gelding Abruzzo, who enjoyed class relief and engined his field in 1:53.3, last half :56.1. George Napolitano had the sulky seat behind the Joe Pavia Jr. trainee, who is owned by John Whitig, Michael Rich, Jeffrey Haas, and Pint Size Racing LLC.

The pace, restricted to mares, saw the Tall Dark Stranger mare Ballast coming off of a victory in his last start – which was on June 22. But the two months and two days away had no effect on Ballast’s fitness to succeed, as Anthony Napolitano and the winner made every pole a winning one in 1:51.3, last quarter :27.3. Trainer Travis Alexander had Ballast ready for a big mile, and she delivered it for EVM Racing LLC.

The headline trot winners, George Napolitano Jr. and Ridge Warren, were at the top of the sulky standings for the day with four victories apiece; two of Warren’s wins came for the only trainer with two triumphs, Dirk Simpson. Braxten Boyd and Tyler Buter each brought home a pair of winners.

The Pocono racing week concludes on Tuesday at 1 p.m.; featured will be $16,000 races for two-year-old pacers, one for each gait, and a $15,500 trot for developing diagonalgaiters. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

For complete race results, click here: US Trotting results.

From the PHHA / Pocono Downs