Wilkes-Barre, PA --- Iwillmakeyousaywow parlayed a pocket trip into a new lifetime mark of 1:51 in the fastest of three $15,000 divisions of the Bobby Weiss Series for male pacers Sunday night (April 17) at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, while in the distaff section, also with three cuts, Candy Corn Hanover proved most photogenic to take her division and keep her Weiss and career records unblemished after three starts.
Last week Iwillmakeyousaywow, a first week Weiss winner, drew post eight against Midnight Lightning and saw that foe rush by late for a 1:51 decision and two straight Weiss wins. This week the Manhardt gelding Iwillmakeyousaywow, who had the 4-5 mutuel confidence of the wagerers, parlayed a draw inside of Midnight Lightning into a pocket trip behind that one, snapped out nearing headstretch, and gained into :55.1–:27.2 back numbers to win by a half-length over a late-closing Maxdaddy Blue Chip, with Midnight Lightning holding for third.
Iwillmakeyousaywow, a 4-year-old Todd Buter trainee, now has four wins in 2016 and 15 in a career which saw him earn the Michigan program’s champion title at two and three. Tyler Buter handled sulky duties behind the talented pacer, whom he co-owns with Gene Oldford Farms LLC, Lynette Buter, and James Marion.
The other two divisions carried the common themes of driver Scott Zeron, sire Bettor's Delight, and the winners rallying from the pocket as the second choice to take a new lifetime mark.
First to fit that script was the 4-year-old gelding Perfect Bet, who just caught pacesetting favored Sentencing Memo by the shortest possible margin in 1:51.2. Perfect Bet made his first Weiss start a winning one for trainer Jeffrey Smith and owner Aimee Scheid.
In the other cut, Options Are Adream entered the race perfect in eight career starts, the last two in Weiss competition, but the dream was shattered early when the horse made a break before the start and was five lengths off the last horse at the word “go.”
Zeron had sent the sophomore gelding Bettor Memories, a first leg Weiss winner, to the early lead, then let Options Are Adream complete a daring last-to-first second quarter move to sit the pocket behind a horse who had used a tremendous amount of energy. When tipped out of the two-hole nearing headstretch, Bettor Memories was full of pace and lowered his mark a tick to 1:51.4 for trainer Nifty Norman and owner Gus Dovi. Options Are Adream tired to fourth.
On the distaff side, Candy Corn Hanover made it three-for-three in both Weiss Series action and in her career, but the pocket rocket almost got defused by Southwind Tango, who set the pace and just missed beating the victorious Dragon Again filly by a nose in 1:53.4. Anthony Napolitano guided the 1-5 favorite to victory for trainer Travis Alexander and the Fiddler’s Creek Stables.
American Image had been third, then second in her first two Weiss starts, and carried the logical progression through to a new lifetime mark of 1:52.3 in taking her division, though not all of the bettors noticed the logical progression as she was dismissed at 14-1 odds. Sitting third on the rail most of the way, the Rockin Image filly got room in the famed Pocono Pike to register a neck tally for the father/son team of driver Marcus and trainer Erv Miller, and her owners, Paymaq Racing, George Golemes, Red Barn Stable, and Louis Willinger.
Miller and longshot were also the watchwords in the third female Weiss action. This time it was driver Brett Miller and 9-1 shot She Can Cruise circling from second-over to just catch pacesetting favorite Black Widow Baby in the shadow of the wire to take a maiden mark of 1:54.2. Chris Ryder conditions the Yankee Cruiser filly for owners Philip and Dana Steinberg.
In sum, the Weiss Series was quite a spectacle Sunday at Pocono as the winning margins in the six races were nose/nose/neck/1-1/4 lengths/half-length/head.
Majo Just Do It came from sixth at the stretch call in the second race of the evening and just did get to the wire and the winner's circle, taking a neck decision while paying the longest dividend for a $2 win bet here this year, $197.00. It’s not often you get 97-1 odds on the second-leading driver at your track, but The Downs’ scattered faithful received that return for backing Anthony Napolitano, second behind his brother George here and also second in wins at The Meadowlands.
Monday’s action, starting at 6:30 p.m., will be highlighted by the second round preliminary of the Weiss Series for trotting males, with four $15,000 divisions set to go.