The forecast calls for temps in the mid-seventies with a chance of a thunderstorm on Saturday at Pocono Downs. If the weather cooperates there may be an explosion of speed that outdoes the one that occurred there in 2012 during the elimination and final rounds of the Hempt, Lynch, Franklin and Beal stakes.
Last year
the final of the $500,000 Beal was held on the same night as the elimination
round for the other three; this year they are all in sync. The Beal served as
Goo’s coming out party. He won his elimination by seven in a WR :51.3 and
topped that in the final as he became the first trotter to break :51 on a 5/8
track. Stormin Normand was the only other starter to maintain contact with the
winner and he finished a length back. Dan Patch winner Market Share skipped the
Beal.
There are
three eight horse eliminations for the Beal on Saturday—nine of them will make
next week’s final. Celebrity Maserati and Peter Haughton winner Aperfectyankee
will have a rematch in the first. Jimmy Takter’s Dontyouforgetit has the rail
in that split. Corky takes on Royalty For Life in the second division. The
latter won a split of the ISS and finished second to Wheeling N Dealin in the
BC last year. His only 2013 start was a disaster as he was five off the gate at
the start and ran part of the way home. He gets Tetrick here. EBC winner Jurgen
Hanover, a winner of all seven starts this year, takes on the NJSS kingpin,
Smilin Eli, in the third split.
Division top
gun, Wheeling N Dealin is absent from a premium sophomore tilt for the second
time this month. He wasn’t staked to the Goodtimes at Mohawk either. That’s a
big disappointment. The top four finishers from the Goodtimes, including winner
Flanagan Memory, are all missing from the Beal.
Last year’s
Lynch proved to be a very exciting race as Jewel engaged the leader, Economy
Terror, for the last 3/8 of a mile and finally won in a WR tying :49.2. The
mark was jointly held by Peelers and Showherthemoney. Jewel was on a path to being
considered an all-time great after winning the Lynch, but she subsequently lost
the Shalee to Major Look, the EBC to Bettor B Lucky and the Valley Forge to
stablemate, Romantic Moment. As was the case the previous year with that other
New York bred, Peelers, greatness proved elusive.
Saturday’s
second Lynch division is a beauty: Fan Hanover winner, I Luv The Nitelife, drew
the four, with Somwherovrarainbow just outside of her. And if that isn’t
enough, Adios Betty and Courageous Lady winner, Charisma Hanover, a perfect
five for five for the Burke barn, starts from the outside. The first split
matches Ms Caila J Fra, winner of the NJSS final over Jerseylicious and
Nitelife, against the former—from the rail—and the outstanding Bettor’s Delight
filly, Shebestingin, from the far outside. Jerseylicious started from the eight
in last week’s Fan Hanover. Belle Boyd, Love Canal and L Dees Lioness are
missing from the Lynch.
A Rocknroll
Dance established himself as a player in last year’s Hempt. Elimination
winners, Duer and Kingcole, knocked heads for the last 5/8 of a mile only to
have Gingras get up at the wire and steal it with 17/1 Dance in a :48.3 mile.
He won the Pace and Battle after that but from mid-August on it was one bad
post, tough mile and poor finish after another. He’s now dropped fifteen
straight. Part-owner/trainer, Jim
Mullinix, was presented with the 2012 Winner’s Circle Award by the Ohio chapter
of the USHWA. Hello! Earth to Ohio. Talk about a horse in need of a new home.
The Captain,
fresh off his Cup win, should handle the competition pretty easily in the third
Hempt elimination. Casie Coleman bemoaned the bad racing luck of her Bettor’s
Delight gelding, Vegas Vacation, in the Cup. This is his chance to prove her
right: he drew the one for Sears in that division. The Summer Survivor Series
phenom, Word Power, steps up this week. He drew the seven against Lonewolf
Currier, Emeritus Maximus, Johny Rock and Source Of Pride in the first division
of the Hempt. The $100,000 final of the Summer Survivor Series is the same
night as the Hempt final. And Wake Up Peter is well positioned to win the
second division as Bye Bye Byrd winner, Beach Memories, and Martini Hanover
drew way outside of him. Fool Me Once, Sunshine Beach, Doctor Butch, Sir Carys
Z Tam, Varadero Hanover and Twilight Bonfire are among the missing.
Aracache had
his five minutes of fame when he won an elimination for last year’s Franklin in
:48.1. Cheddar overpowered the field in the other with a :48.3 mile. He came first up at the 3/8 and
crushed the field in the final, too, tying the WR of :48. That win matched the
stakes record held by Artistic Fella and Mr Big. Cheddar marked himself as the
top dog in the division that night.
There were
only two elimination divisions for the Franklin last year; there are three on
Saturday. Cheddar, with two unsuccessful but promising starts in him, drew the
outside in the first for his regular chauffeur, George Brennan. Golden
Receiver, the last place finisher in his 2012 elimination, drew the two. Heston Blue Chip finally takes on his peers in
the second, from the outside post. Sweet Lou, given a week off after a head to
head battle with Cheddar in the RWJ, drew just inside of HBC. RWJ winner, Pet
Rock, starts from the rail in the third. Molson winner, State Treasurer, starts
just outside of him. Foiled, Kingcole and Duer are also in the field.
As is often
the case, elimination night for these four stakes may trump next week’s finals.
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