Page 21 - Pocono Downs News Today

When Matt Kakaley decided he wanted to pursue a career as a harness racing driver, that was his only focus.

When trainer Mitch York bought Annapolis Hanover as a yearling at the 2021 Standardbred Horse Sale, he hoped the pacer would develop into a top horse on the Pennsylvania fair circuit. It didn’t work out that way, but York isn’t about to complain.

Top pacing mare Niki Hill, coming off two New Jersey Maturity victories in her only starts of 2023, turned in a winning 1:53.3 qualifier on Wednesday morning at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pocono.

On Monday afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, the theme of the day was “Driver Tyler Buter and Trainer John Butenschoen Click With Another Three-Year-Old Trotter,” as the trotmeisters sent out four winning diamond-gaited sophomores, including both winners in the $15,000 featured races.

Matt Kakaley closed out a storybook week at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania -- one in which he went over $100 million USD in career earnings -- by notching his 6,000th driving victory with Willing Hanover in the trotting division of three $15,000 conditioned featured races on Tuesday afternoon.

The Pennsylvania-sired “glamour division”, the three-year-old pacing males, were featured in their first of two consecutive Sunday stops at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania on May 14, contesting three $30,000 divisions of their Pennsylvania All-Stars event.

With the date for the 2023 Pepsi North America Cup eliminations just four weeks away, the majority of the three-year-old pacers aiming for Canadian harness racing's biggest prize have made on-track appearances and statements as they stake their claim for divisional dominance.

The second Grand Circuit event at Plainridge Park this year is the $100,000 Bunker Hill Trot for three-year-olds in 2023 and it will be held on Monday, May 15. Inter Mischief is the early choice in the race and he is no stranger to racing in the Commonwealth.

Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania featured $18,500 events for each gait on Saturday (May 13) with the trotting class providing the fastest mile of that gait this season.

There were three $15,500 divisions of the top-level claiming handicap trot featured on the Tuesday afternoon (May 9) card at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania.