Hot baby barns impress in stifling heat

WILKES-BARRE PA – The theme of a Wednesday morning baby race session at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania which started at 9 a.m. to beat the coming stifling heat (it was already 86 degrees by 10 a.m.) was indeed “hot stables” in the respective harness racing divisions.

Driver Matt Kakaley and trainer George Ducharme combined with a trio of first-time trotting colts who now all show a win on their first charted line while taking all three of that section’s races. Quickest was Navigator One (Walner – Bee The Queen), who came home out of the pocket in :58.2 – :29 to win in 1:58.3 for owner Alfred Ross. The other pair in Team Kakaley / Ducharme’s three-of-a-kind were False Dogma (Captain Corey – Sister Christina) in an engine 1:59.3 – :59.2 – :29.3 tally, and the Tactical Landing – Red Wies And Blue baby Tactical Red, also a leader throughout in 2:00 – :58.3 – :28.4.

NAVIGATOR ONE REPLAY

Steve Salerno is a five-time Pocono title winner over his distinguished career, but in semiretirement he hadn’t won even a qualifying race in over four years when he took the sulky seat behind two Emily Bost two-year-old trotting fillies  by Greenshoe and keep their winning streaks going in a divisional sweep.

Alexandriabluechip (dam Queendom) now has three wins, one at Saratoga and two here, after she was the quicker, front-ending in 1:59.4 – :59 for owners Frank Salino Jr., Bruce Potter, Guy Roemer and Theresa Naylor. Ms Bojangles (dam Explosive High) also has done the Saratoga – Pocono double after coming back quarters each in :29.2 on the lead for a 2:01.2 win.

ALEXANDRIABLUECHIP REPLAY

“Sweeps” certainly weren’t confined to the trotting action. The two pacing colt sections were both captured by Travis Alexander pupils, with the faster the Perfect Sting – Little Miss K colt Everlast Sting Deo, owned by Morrison Racing Stables and coming from third to win in 1:55.3. – :56.3 – :28 for driver Braxten Boyd as the barn was 1-2-3 in this contest. Matt Kakaley was the driver for the Sweet Lou – Life Is A Beach colt Sweet Joel, who won his first start controlling the throttle in 1:58.1 – :57.4 – :28.4.

EVERLAST STING DEO REPLAY

Alexander / Kakaley also won a pair of the four sections for pacing fillies, but the fastest winner was Say Goodnight (Papi Rob Hanover – One Last Kiss). In her first start she came from way back to win; here she vacated the pocket past the half and sped her own last half in :55 to stop the timer at 1:54.3 for driver Tyler Buter, trainer Nicholas Devita, and owners David Hamm and Glenn Phillips.

The winning baby fillies under the Alexander / Kakaley banner were Big Weekend (Captaintreacherous – Tica Hanover), who opened the session with an engine win in 1:55 – :56.2 – :27.1, and the Huntsville – All On Top Hanover miss Odds On Monetary, coming home in :56.2 – :28 in a 1:56.1 success story. The fourth frosh pacing filly added a local win to an earlier Monticello victory: Ev Does It (Roll With Joe – Tesla Hanover), a 1:57.3 – :58 winner for driver Braxten Boyd and trainer Mark Ford.

BIG WEEKEND REPLAY

Live racing resumes at Pocono on Saturday with a 1 p.m. card. Replays of the baby races can be found at www.phha.org.

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

From the PHHA / Pocono Downs