Manolete outpaces older rivals

WILKES-BARRE PA – The three-year-old Manolete took no backseat to his elders in the $20,000 fast-class pacing feature at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania on Saturday, with the son of Cattlewash taking both his second straight harness racing win at the northeast Pennsylvania oval and a new mark of 1:49.2.

Trainer Bruce Saunders again tapped Brett Beckwith for the catch-drive behind Manolete, and Beckwith made the lead in the middle of the first turn before a :26.3 opener, then pushed brushing favorite Voukefalas a ways before surrendering the top to sit in the golden chair. The chalk posted middle numbers of :54 and 1:22, repelling any outside hopefuls, but the major danger lurked right behind him, and when Beckwith gave him the green light, the sophomore responded strongly, winning by three-quarters of a length when seeming in more control than the margin might suggest – or maybe that’s his preternaturally-calm Rising Star award-winning driver.

MANOLETE REPLAY

Manolete now has earnings of $460,925 for M&L Of Delaware LLC and M&M Harness Racing LLC.

There were also a pair of races at the top two levels for developing horses, each class with one race on each gait. The contests for $17,500 saw the pacing side go to the Huntsville gelding Gretzky The Great, who was claimed for $30,000 last week and promptly handled the switch to conditioned company, proceeding steadily to the lead, then digging down to withstand favored Makes Sense’s late bid by a half length in 1:52. Gretzky The Great was driven by Matt Kakaley for the horse’s new connections, trainer Darren Taneyhill and owner P T Stable.

In the higher-level trot for horses on the improve, Daiquiri Hanover atoned for an error when looking in contention for a triumph in his previous start, sitting in the two-hole until headstretch and then going on to a 1:52.3 victory for driver Tyler Buter, trainer Tony Alagna, and owners Adam Hawthorne, Jade Hatfield, and Itzak Madae, whose son of Bar Hopping has now won three of his last four.

In the $15,500 trot for the up-and-comers, the altered Love You sophomore Beaujolais Breeze took advantage of sitting the pocket trip behind Craigieburn, then raced  by that one at headstretch and went to a 1:55.4 victory for driver Brett Beckwith, trainer Nifty Norman, and the ownership of  Tom Vassiliou, Deo Volente Farms LLC, Thomas Pontone, and Enzed Racing Stable Inc.

In the pacing event at this level, the three-year-old Cattlewash gelding Tom Horn dictated the tempo then withstood potential pocket rocket Chief Bogo by a neck to lower his lifetime best to 1:50.1 for the meet leaders, driver Tyler Buter and trainer Ron Burke, and owners Burke Racing Stable LLC, W Donovan, David Miller, and J&T Silva- Purnel & Libby.

Buter had four winners on the card, two of them for Burke. Horsemen with doubles were drivers Brett Beckwith and George Napolitano Jr. and trainers Burke, as mentioned, and Darren Taneyhill.

Racing at Pocono continues on Monday and Tuesday, with first post each day 1 p.m. 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