Pocket-sitters pop in Pocono feature

WILKES-BARRE PA – The same phrase applies to the outcome of both $15,000 trotting harness racing features at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania on Monday afternoon: “Pocketsitter overhauls pacesetter.”

The quicker of the two feature winners was the Walner sophomore trotting filly Sapphirerainstar, who is undefeated in four starts since coming to Pocono from New Jersey after the Mark Akins trainee sat in the two-hole, then closed up the Pocono Pike to beat out leading favorite Going Green by a neck in 1:54.4. The betting was close (Going Green was the 11-10 favorite, and Sapphirerainstar was 13-10), and the finish was just as close, but Simon Allard got the pocket rocket home for A 1 Racing.

SAPPHIRERAINSTAR

The Greenshoe three-year-old gelding Put Option Hanover also drafted along behind a favored pacesetter, Oliver The Great, in the other feature race, but driver Patrick Ryder moved to the outside in the lane from the golden chair and worked past the leader by 1¼ lengths in 1:55.3. Mahlon Martin is the trainer and owner of the winner, who garnered fourth-place checks in both Liberty Bell and Simpson stakes within the last few weeks.

PUT OPTION HANOVER REPLAY

Matt Kakaley and George Napolitano Jr. joined Braxten Boyd as posting a driving double on the card, keeping Kakaley ahead of Napolitano by three victories, 263-260, with five cards left in the 2024 meeting at Pocono.

Tuesday’s racing, beginning at 1 p.m., is topped by three $15,000 divisions of the same developmental class featured on Monday’s card. Pocono will then race Saturday the 16^th, Monday the 18^th, and Tuesday the 19^th before closing out the year’s racing on Saturday the 23^rd. 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