Photo finish camera needed in feature pace

WILKES-BARRE, PA – Frazzleberry (Art Major) got his own way on the lead past the half in the $13,000 featured harness racing pace at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono on a hot Tuesday afternoon (Jul. 19), but he still had to work hard late to hang on to a nose victory over Fulsome in 1:54.2.

George Napolitano Jr. moved Frazzleberry to the lead early, got a :30 second breather in quarter two, but then faced a challenge from first-over Fulsome most of the way home.

Others joined in the dash to the wire, but the camera showed Frazzleberry a winner by the smallest of margins over his grinding foe, with Ripplesonthebeach third, just a neck from taking it all after photoing out late-clearing Win Place’N Show for the show dough.

Frazzleberry has now captured two of his last three starts, with a second in between, for trainer Jose Godinez and the partnership of Joseph Betro, Ian Behar, and Kristie Leigh Farm Inc.

FRAZZLEBERRY

In the first of two $12,500 trotting co-features, Top Me Off, a son of Bar Hopping who was the winningest three-year-old trotting male in North America last year with 15 victories, posted a second successive success with a 1:54.4 triumph, moving in front of the stands to take control and going on to win for driver Matt Kakaley and trainer/owner Arlene Cameron, who combined for a pair of wins on the card.

The other top trot went even more quickly, as driver George Napolitano Jr. took his second feature of the day, this one with Can’t Say No (Explosive Matter) in a lifetime best 1:54. The winner never relinquished control from the pole and left his opponents far behind in winning for the second straight time for trainer Tee Wine and Jemaxpo Racing Stable LLC.

“George Nap,” perennially the track’s leading driver, had five wins on the day. Uncustomary, though, he is looking up for second this season as Matt Kakaley, who leads in sulky victories this season and added three on Tuesday.

Excellent racing will be featured this weekend at The Downs. On Saturday’s 1:30 card, there will be a $25,000 pace with such stalwarts as Catch The Fire, J M Mandamin, and Southwind Ozzi top contenders; the last race High-5 bet will have a $6258.52 carryover. A similar $25,000 event for pacing distaffs appears on Sunday’s 5:00 program, along with three $30,000 Pennsylvania All-Stars divisions for two-year-old pacing fillies, with several of them already having stakes success. Program pages will be available by clicking here.

For complete race results, click here.

From the PHHA/The Downs