Sun Stakes Saturday eliminations contested at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono

Wilkes-Barre, PA — The power-packed Sun Stakes Saturday eliminations card was held Saturday night (June 22) at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, with the top finishers in their eliminations advancing to next Saturday (June 29) and the $2,000,000+ Sun Stakes Saturday Championship card. A $30,000 Great Northeast Open Series event for fast-class pacers was also on the Saturday Pocono card. 

Ben Franklin Eliminations:

Western Fame (Daniel Dube) worked his way to the top, kept first-over favorite Highalator hung out, then went on to withstand pocket-sitter This Is The Plan by three-quarters of a length in the first Franklin contest in 1:48.1, equaling the fastest mile of the year on a 5/8-mile track. The son of Western Ideal, an early-season sensation in the Levy Series, was making his first purse start in seven weeks, but set fractions of :26.2, :54.1, and 1:21 for Dube, then fired home in :27.1 to raise his seasonal earnings to $466,300 and his lifetime bankroll over $1.5 million for trainer Rene Allard and the ownership of  Go Fast Stable, Stephen Klunowski, B & I Stables LLC, and Gil Short. Beckham Z’s Tam (David Miller) and Duplicated N (Tim Tetrick) were third and fourth to advance to the Championship.

western fame franklin elim.jpg

In the second elimination, odds-on favorite and defending Franklin champion McWicked (Brian Sears) went first-over and got past pace-setter Lather Up (Montrell Teague) on the far turn, but in a rare sight, McWicked was passed in the stretch, as Lather Up fought back gamely in the lane and was able to win in 1:50.1. Lather Up made two-speed moves during the race and just past a :26.4 quarter; he then backed off the tempo to :56.1 at the half, but still, McWicked was able to gain an advantage on the pacesetter soon past the 1:23.3 three-quarters. But Lather Up, a son of I’m Gorgeous trained by Clyde Francis and owned by Gary and Barbara Iles, dug in deep for more power at driver Montrell Teague’s urging and regained the lead, holding a neck advantage at the wire. Springsteen (Simon Allard) had to back out and go four-wide in the lane, coming on late for second, a half-length ahead of McWicked, with Miso Fast (Miller) and Dorsoduro Hanover (Matt Kakaley) claiming the last spots in the Franklin Championship. 

Lather Up fought hard down the stretch to win his Ben Franklin elimination over Springsteen and McWicked. Curtis Salonick Photo.

Lather Up fought hard down the stretch to win his Ben Franklin elimination over Springsteen and McWicked. Curtis Salonick Photo.

Earl Beal Memorial Eliminations:

Greenshoe (Sears) continued to prove that he may be harness racing’s next superstar as he came uncovered in a :55.2 back half and trotted off effortlessly for a 1:52.3 victory, part of a “Green” sweep of the Beal eliminations for trainer Marcus Melander. The son of Father Patrick (who holds the 1:50.2 divisional world record) got away fourth in early fractions of :27.4 and :57.1, starting up raw near the half for driver Brian Sears and going right past pacesetting Osterc passing the 1:25 three-quarters. Greenshoe won by 3-1/4 eased-up lengths over finishers Osterc (Yannick Gingras) and Marseille (Ake Svanstedt), with Goes Down Smooth and Reign Of Honor dead-heating for fourth and both going through to next week. Greenshoe remained undefeated after three seasonal starts for Courant Inc., Hans Backe, Lars Granquist, and Morten Langli.

Greenshoe continued to reign supreme on Saturday night in his Earl Beal Memorial elimination. Curtis Salonick Photo.

Greenshoe continued to reign supreme on Saturday night in his Earl Beal Memorial elimination. Curtis Salonick Photo.

Green Manalishi S (Tim Tetrick) was ready to go in his first purse start of 2019, closing for victory in a career-best 1:52.1 in the first Beal elimination. White Tiger (Miller) headed right down the road, setting early numbers of :27.1 and :55.4, but he could not handle the first-over move of Summit In Sight (Andy Miller) past the 1:24.0 three-quarters. Tim Tetrick had Green Manalishi S on that one’s back, and gained through the last quarter to win by 1-1/4 lengths over Summit In Sight, with Swandre The Giant (Gingras), the 7-5 chalk, escaping from the shuffle behind White Tiger to rally for third and Wittyville (Kakaley) closing for fourth and advancing. Green Manalishi S, a son of Muscle Hill, now has 6 wins and 5 seconds in 11 lifetime starts for Melander and owners Courant Inc.

green manalishi beal elim.jpg

Max C. Hempt Memorial Eliminations:

The first elimination went to the American Ideal colt Shake That House (Sears), who set a lifetime mark of 1:49. Sears kept the three-quarter brother to stablemate and Breeders Crown winner Split The House just off the early :26 battle between favored Aflame Hanover (Andrew McCarthy) and Air Force Hanover (Miller), then brushed past that rival and led to the half in :53.4. Aflame Hanover came back for more past the 5/8 and battled to the 1:21.4 three-quarters, but Shake That House shook off that one’s challenge, then withstood Air Force Hanover coming up the Pocono Pike by a length, with Aflame Hanover holding for third. Chris Oakes conditions the winner of seven of 13 lifetime starts for Crawford Farms Racing, Alan Johnson, and Northfork Racing Stable.

shake that house hempt elim.jpg

Proof (Miller) showed himself to be back in top form in the second Hempt elimination, as the A Rocknroll Dance colt won handily in 1:48.1, equaling the fastest mile of the year on a 5/8-mile track and a lifetime best. Proof was placed third by David Miller as Lyons Nighthawk (Sears) and Captain Malicious (Mark MacDonald) sat 1-2 through fractions of :26.1, :54.1, and 1:21, with Proof in gear before the three-quarter pole and by the leader shortly afterward, drawing off for a three-length win. Brassy Hanover (Corey Callahan) came up the inside to be second, 1-1/4 lengths ahead of Lyons Night Hawk but not close to Proof, the 2018 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes champion who is trained by Brian Brown for Diamond Creek Racing and who has now won half his 16 career starts.

Captain Victorious (Gingras) hung Escape The Beach (George Napolitano Jr.) through hard fractions of :26, :53.2, and 1:21.1, then had enough to power off to a two-length win in 1:48.3 in the other section. Gingras knew what he had in the Ron Burke trainee and drove accordingly, and the son of Captaintreacherous was more than equal to the task, holding off pocket-sitter Hurrikane Emperor (Daniel Dube) by two lengths, with Highland Beachlover (Tim Tetrick) rallying for third. The Captain V Stable owns the winner, who knocked 2-3/5 lengths off his lifetime mark with his first 2019 victory. 

Proof returned to top form on Saturday night with a convincing win in his Max C. Hempt Memorial elimination. Curtis Salonick Photo.

Proof returned to top form on Saturday night with a convincing win in his Max C. Hempt Memorial elimination. Curtis Salonick Photo.

James C. Lynch Memorial eliminations:

Tall Drink Hanover (McCarthy) profited from a pocket trip, then closed into a :26.4 kicker to take her Lynch elimination in 1:50, equaling her lifetime mark. The daughter of Captaintreacherous left sharply for command, put St Somewhere (Kakaley) in behind her, then yielded to the brush of favored Philly Hanover (Dunn) past the :27 quarter. McCarthy was content to keep “Tall Drink” in the two-hole behind the pacesetter through mid splits of :55.1 and 1:23, then had her in gear coming out of the hole headstretch and paced a big last eighth to pass the leader by a length, with St Somewhere a distant third. A winner of nine of 15 starts lifetime, the winner is trained by Tony Alagna for Alagna Racing LLC, Marvin Katz, and Riverview Racing LLC.

Alagna came right back in the second elim with Odds On St Lucie (Dunn), the Sweet Lou miss out of a full sister to Captaintreacherous, who is perfect in two 2019 starts and has won five in a row dating back to last year. Odds On St Lucie made two early moves before and after the :27 quarter, then surrendered control to favored Zero Tolerance (Miller) before the :54.2 half. The winner kept close past the 1:22.1 three-quarters and through the turn, to be a winner in 1:49.4, a lifetime mark, finishing a half-length clear of 25-1 closer Blue Ivy (Tetrick), with Zero Tolerance lasting for third to advance. Odds On St Lucie is owned by Odds On Racing.

The third Lynch elim featured glamour fillies Warrawee Ubeaut (Gingras) and Treacherous Reign (Dunn), but it proved to be the slowest of the three, as the fastest 2-year-old ever, Warrawee Ubeaut, was able to get strolling mid-fractions while Treacherous Reign had to go first-over, then roared home in :26 for a 1:50.2 win. Another daughter of Sweet Lou, Warrawee Ubeaut quarter-moved to the top just past the :27.1 opener, then relaxed under Gingras’ guidance and posted numbers of :56.3 and 1:24.3, the latter split with Treacherous Reign coming uncovered from fourth. Through the stretch pocketsitting, Stonebridge Soul (Tetrick) proved the biggest threat to the controlling winner, coming up the inside to get within three-quarters of a length, with Treacherous Reign holding of Trillions Hanover (Miller) to advance. Warrawee Ubeaut is trained by Ron Burke for Burke Racing Stable LLC, Phil Collura, J&T Silva– Purnel & Libby, and Weaver Bruscemi LLC.

World-record holder Warrawee Ubeaut scored during her James C. Lynch Memorial elimination on Saturday. Curtis Salonick Photo.

World-record holder Warrawee Ubeaut scored during her James C. Lynch Memorial elimination on Saturday. Curtis Salonick Photo.

Previous
Previous

Gimpanzee Goes 11 for 11 as part of Yonkers $165,499 NYSS Dick McGuire Trot

Next
Next

Greenshoe tops Hambletonian hopefuls in Beal elims