Springsteen was the boss in the $500,000 Max Hempt Memorial at the Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono last Saturday. The 3-year-old pacer sustained a 3-wide from rally from the far turn to a 1:48.3 finish, winning by a head over pocket-tripping Nutcracker Sweet (29-1) and fast-closing Hitman Hill (24-1).

Simon Allard drove Springsteen to the 15-to-1 upset for his brother, trainer Rene Allard. The $2 exacta paid $394 and the 50-cent trifecta $292 because 1-to-9 favorite Lather Up (Montrell Teague), the Pepsi North America Cup champion, broke stride on the final turn as Springsteen was sweeping by.

"All I worry about is my horse being nice and relaxed," Simon Allard said. "He’s always so angry and wants to go fast. The fact they were going real fast to the half, I never had to grab into him and he was nice and relaxed."

Springsteen more than doubled his bankroll to $729,423 with his fifth victory in 19 starts for co-owners Allard Racing Inc., Bruce Soulsby, Alan Weisenberg and Kapildeo Singh.

A former Hempt champion, 2014 stakes record-setter McWicked (1:47.3) returned to The Downs to win the Ben Franklin free-for-all pace, the second of three half-million dollar races on the card. He parlayed a perfect, second-over trip for Hall of Fame driver Brian Sears and a powerful stretch kick into a 1-1/2-length victory in 1:48.4. McWicked, the 3-to-5 favorite, surged 4-wide past pace-setter Filibuster Hanover (Gingras) and held off inside bids by Rockin Ron (Louis Roy) and Mac's Jackpot (Brett Miller) to surpass $2.5 million in earnings for S S G Stables and trainer Casie Coleman.

All eyes shifted to the Earl Beal Jr. Memorial, where Manchego, last year's champion 2-year-old, took on the boys and tried to extend her perfect record for the 16th time. Six Pack (Ake Svanstedt), unbeaten in four starts as a 3-year-old, cleared to the lead early from post 9 and stayed there until the closing yards. Manchego (Gingras) ranged up first-over on the final turn but went off stride as the 3-to-5 favorite. All the while, Fashion Farms LLC's Crystal Fashion (Tim Tetrick), the 9-to-2 second choice, sat poised in the pocket and angled off the rail in deep stretch to gun down Six Pack for a head victory in 1:51.4. Jim Campbell trains Crystal Fashion, who lost by a nose to Manchego in the Beal eliminations.

As dramatic as the $500,000 races were, the night's best performance belonged to Kissin In The Sand, winner of the $300,000 James Lynch Memorial for 3-year-old fillies in 1:49.3. She started from post 9 and was parked the mile by resilient pace-setter Youraremycandygirl (Gingras) as neither would give an inch through a blistering 1:20.3 third-quarter split. Kissin In The Sand found more in the closing yards to win by a neck. Scott Zeron drove the winner for trainer Nancy Johansson and co-owners Marvin Katz and Hatfield Stables.