Bobby Weiss Series + Weekly review

WILKES-BARRE PA – The harness racing team of owner Bob Key, trainer Trish Adams, and driver Jim Morrill Jr. accounted for two of the four $15,000 divisions of the second preliminary round of the Bobby Weiss Series for trotting females Tuesday night at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.

Baby Wants, a Conway Hall filly, had not won in 14 prior career starts and was up against the heavily-favored Myrna Myrna, the fastest winner in the first prelim, but "Baby" was moved to the lead in front of the stands by Morrill, then stepped home in 1:57.2 to post a half-length decision over the chalk, who came from sixth at the half in another good showing. The other winner for Morrill/Adams/Key was a Deweycheatumnhowe filly, Corrupt, a good-closing third in her Weiss bow, with Morrill here using the same early move tactic that helped Baby Wants while guiding Corrupt to a 1:57.4 triumph, a new mark by over three seconds.

Deweycheatumnhowe got a second siring credit, and Anthony Napolitano posted the first of his two Weiss wins on the night, when the four-year-old Dewitonemoretime raced on the engine and held off Ãke Svanstedt's white trotting mare, Via Lattea IT, by a head while equaling her mark of 1:57.3 in her seasonal bow. Scott Betts trains the winner for owners Timothy Betts and Nicholas Catalano. First round winner Miss Ruby made an early break but rallied from last to be third here.

Fortunes were reversed in the final Weiss sector: I M Fishin was favored in the first leg but had to settle for third after a good recovery from an early miscue, while Ms American Muscle posted the victory last Tuesday. This week "Ms Muscle" was the victim of a lapse from gait, and I M Fishin was able to go wire-to-wire from "Anthony Nap" despite the outside seven, with the 1:56.3 final clocking lowering her speed tab by just over two seconds. Jody Riedel conditions the victorious ABC Garland mare for Super Mile LLC.

Morrill went on to have five winners on the night; Anthony Napolitano wound up with three. That gives each driver 30 wins as they are tied at the top in the early Pocono standings. And since Pocono has raced only 12 cards so far in 2018, that means they are each averaging 2 1/2 winners a card so far — fancy numbers at anybody's racetrack.

The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono Week in Review

April 7-13, 2018 – Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t April supposed to be when the weather starts to turn away from the long, cold winter? It certainly hasn’t done that yet in Northeastern Pennsylvania. We’re nearly a month into the season and I don’t believe we’ve hit the 60-degree mark on a racing night yet this season. Luckily, the racing at Pocono hasn’t been bothered one iota by the chilly temps, as the early weeks have been as fast and furious as ever. On that note, let’s honor the best performances of the past four racing nights with the Weekly Awards.

PACER OF THE WEEK: AWESOMENESS

With a name like that, this five-year-old gelding trained by Brett Pelling is practically begging people to come up and knock him off his perch. Luckily, Awesomeness has more than enough talent to back up his moniker. He really started to come to the fore in 2017, earning a hefty $164,368 on his campaign. And he hasn’t let up at all this season. Back-to-back wins at The Meadowlands in February and March got him rolling, and a win on March 31 in his Pocono debut in the winners of over $25,000 lifetime feature in 1:51:3 cemented his status.

On Saturday night, he was once again facing that tough winners over group, only this time around, the field was even more rugged, with the inclusion of juggernauts from Dover Downs (Major Uptrend) and The Meadowlands (Bettor’s Edge) bringing a lot of class into town with them. But driver Jim Morrill Jr., utilizing the inside post to his advantage, found an early sweet spot in the pocket with Awesomeness, as the fractions were cut out at a blistering pace.

In the home stretch, Awesomeness had the room to uncork his late kick in the passing lane as the 3-2 betting favorite. He took over the lead but still had to deal with a big late move from Archangel Three in the lane. He prevailed by a neck, making it two in a row against the toughest pacers on the grounds. His winning time was 1:50:4. Look for this talented pacer to keep living up to that name and to perform as one of the top aged pacers at Pocono and anywhere else he decides to roam.

Other top pacers this week include: Sapphire City (Anthony Napolitano, Ron Burke), who moved up in class on Saturday night to take home his second straight condition victory, this one coming in 1:52:4; Miss Hill (Anthony Napolitano, Bruce Clarke), a filly who picked up her second straight Bobby Weiss series win on Monday night and did so in a career-best 1:54; and Charming Hill (Jim Morrill Jr., Marc Mosher), who switched barns to pick up her second straight claiming handicap win over mares on Monday night in 1:55:1.

TROTTER OF THE WEEK: CHAS HANOVER

Much of the trotting action this past week was dedicated to the second leg of the Bobby Weiss late closer series, including Sunday night’s three divisions for the three and four-year-old colts and geldings. Chas Hanover came into the race looking for his second straight victory in the series and his third straight overall. The three-year-old gelding, trained by Gilberto Garcia-Herrera, had previously scored at Yonkers on March 18 and in the first leg of the Weiss on April 1 in a career-best 1:56:2.

In both of those victories, Chas Hanover was lucky enough to draw an inside post, allowing him to work out excellent trips behind pacesetters. On Sunday night, however, he left from post position #6 in a field of seven trotters, meaning that he wouldn’t be afforded the luxury of good position with little effort. Knowing that, driver George Napolitano Jr. gunned him early to the lead, despite getting a challenge for that lead from Church Choir.

It wasn’t easy from there, either, as Chas Hanover had to deal with persistent pressure from Golden Attitude, who snuck up behind him around the last turn for some cover before charging up in the stretch. Chas Hanover found a little something more, however, holding off Golden Attitude by a nose in a thrilling duel. His winning time was 1:56:4 for this third victory in a row, as he establishes himself as one to watch throughout the entirety of the Weiss races.

Honorable mention on the trotting side goes to: Meadowbranch Ricky (George Napolitano Jr., Jenny Melander), who moved to two-for-two in the Weiss by scoring on Sunday night in 1:56:2; I M Fishin (Anthony Napolitano, Jody Riedel), who picked up a win in the Weiss series for distaff trotters on Tuesday night in 1:56:3, which was the fastest winning time posted of the four divisions that night and a new career-best for filly; and Perfect Stick (George Napolitano Jr., Anette Lorentzon), who scored a condition victory on Sunday night in 1:54:4, which was a new career-best and the fastest trotting time of the week at Pocono.

LONG SHOT OF THE WEEK: PERFECT MAVERICK

This pacing mare, driven by Ron Cushing, made her first career win a memorable one, scoring a condition victory on Sunday night at 27-1 and paying off $57.40 on a $2 win ticket.

DRIVER OF THE WEEK: JIM MORRILL JR.

Morrill is always a force early in the season at Pocono, and this year has been no different, as he picked up four wins on Saturday night and three more on Tuesday.

TRAINER OF THE WEEK: KATRICIA ADAMS

Adams is looking strong in the Bobby Weiss trotting fillies and mares series after picking up a pair of wins in that class on Tuesday night with Corrupt and Baby Wants.

That will do it for this week, but we’ll see you at the track. Feel free to e-mail me at jbeviglia@mohegansunpocono.com.

PHHA / Pocono