Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs Week in Review
September 21-27, 2007
My main man Bob Dylan famously sang about the times a-changin’, and really it’s the tense of that phrase that’s the key point. Had he said that times have changed, that would have portrayed a sense of finality, that the change was complete and that’s the way it would be from here on out. But that careful use of words conveys that change is a constant and therefore impossible to pin down. (On a related side note, can you tell I’m pumped to see Dylan in concert next weekend? With Elvis Costello as the opening act? All I need is an encore featuring a trio comprised of Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr, and I’ll be good for the rest of my life.)
Anyway, ol’ Bob had much weightier matters than harness racing on his mind when he wrote that song, but I thought about it as I watched racing at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs on Monday. I’ve talked in this space before about how Monday afternoons have been primarily filled with claimers and condition races this season, and it’s natural to assume that the racing is pedestrian compared to the fireworks we’re used to seeing.
But then I watched the 7th race, a $7,000 claiming pace. In that race, a 5-year-old gelding named Amboy Rocket zipped to a win in 1:52:4. The fractional times for the race were 26:4, 55:3, and 1:23:4. Considering that the 7 claimers are our second-lowest claiming class, that time is frightful fast. But that’s just par for the course these days.
After all, in other races Monday, we witnessed a conditional claiming pace won by Enticing Beauty in 1:54:4, a claiming handicap trot captured by Blacksnake Blake in 1:56, and race for 2-year-old pacers taken by Mystery Chase in 1:54:4. All classes that are relatively low on the food chain, all blistering times.
I know what all you casual fans are saying out there: “All these numbers are great, Poindexter. But what do they all mean?” The answer lies somewhere, to quote Dylan again, in “the foggy ruins of time”. So let’s step into the Wayback Machine, shall we?
Let’s start with September 24, 2002, or five years ago Monday. We had an 11-race card at The Artist Formerly Known As Pocono Downs. Three trots were held that evening, and not one of the winners was able to break a 2:00 mile.
Not convinced, yet? Well, hold on as we zip back to September 23, 1997. On that night the fastest time was turned in by a pacer named Stormy Collins, who tripped the wire in 1:56:3.
Need more evidence of this sport’s transformation, do you? What if we check in on things 15 years ago? On September 25, 1992, just 4 of the 12 races featured a winner that managed to come home in less than 2 minutes. 11 of those 12 races were on the pace. The fastest mile: a 1:58:4, in a $5,000 claiming handicap, by a horse named Adrenalin.
That’s a full 6 seconds slower than the mark set by Amboy Rocket this past Monday afternoon. It is also slower than the slowest time we had all day on Monday, trots included. You could draw comparisons all day, but I think the point has been sufficiently driven home. They’re flying out there these days at MSPD, folks.
But, getting back to Mr. Dylan, in the same song I mentioned at the top, he warned the “writers and critics” to “don’t speak too spoon, for the wheel’s still in spin.” We can’t talk about change fast enough. By the time you read this, new standards will be set.
Maybe it’s best just to rest assured that the times at the race track, they are a-fallin’.
Time now for the Weekly Awards.
PACER OF THE WEEK: ECKSTROM
Maybe his beating Tivoli Hanover a few weeks back wasn’t that big of an upset, because this gelding from the Ross Croghan barn has won two more in a row since, including last Saturday’s Open Handicap win. Eckstrom, driven by Eric Goodell, won in 1:51:4.
HONOABLE MENTION: ANGLEBROOK, TRADER JACK, AMY’S DREAMBOAT
TROTTER AND LONG SHOT OF THE WEEK: BJ’S CHINOOK
All this 4-year-old gelding did on Tuesday was to go out at 24-1 and take an Open Handicap field gate-to-wire for the win in 1:53:3, breaking the track record for his age group. Crogahn and Goodell were in charge here as well.
HM TROTTERS: MARNEIS, SWEET ELLY MAE, BLACKSNAKE BLAKE
DRIVER OF THE WEEK: TIM TETRICK
The nation’s leading driver raced at Pocono just once last week, but he picked up 5 wins last Friday to hold tight to his lead in the local drivers’ standings.
TRAINER OF THE WEEK: KEVIN SIZER
Sizer’s driving abilities take center stage, but he continued his quietly solid training season with 4 wins this week, including a triple on Monday.
That's going to do it for this week, but I'll see you at the track. Feel free to e-mail me at jbeviglia@mohegansunpocono.com.
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