by Frank Carulli
September 10, 2019
None Bettor A has speed -- and the 6-year-old gelding traveled the distance for a $100,000 stakes victory Monday night.
He won in the 1-1/4-mile Great Northeast Series finals for Open Pacers at the The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono in his only start beyond one mile during an 11-for-15 season.
George Napolitano Jr., the leading driver at the 5/8-mile track, coaxed a determined effort out of None Bettor A, who won by a half-length in 2:20.1 and out-sprinted favored pocket sitter Backstreet Shadow (Tim Tetrick) through torrid fractions and a :27.3 final quarter to prevail.
None Bettor A paid $7.20 to win as the second favorite in a an eight-horse field that was a combined 208-for-667 going into the race. Andrew Harris trains the 27-race winner for Joe P Racing and Oldford Racing.
Great Northeast Series winners Rich and Miserable and Bettor’s Up took different paths in the $100,000 finals for older mares earlier on the card.
Rich and Miserable (Tyler Buter) was content to sit a pocket trip behind pace controlling Hannelore Hanover (Yannick Gingras), the odds-on favorite in the Mares Open Trot. Hannelore Hanover, the 2017 Horse of the Year, appeared in control through 3/4s in 1:28.2, but Tight Lines applied first-over pressure before fading and Rich and Miserable made her move up the famed “Pocono Pike” passing lane to prevail by a head in 2:24.3. She paid $11 to win.
Rich and Miserable topped $300,000 in earnings for co-owners Buter Farm Inc., Lynette Buter and William and Carol Fuhs and she capped an unforgettable night for Tyler Buter, who guided favorites Annie Hill, Jezzys Legacy and the Party’s Rockin to $40,000 stakes victories in the Stallion Series earlier in the night.
Bettor’s Up (Tetrick) sprung the biggest stakes surprise, rallying for a 14-1 upset in the Mares Open Pace in 2:21. The race shaped up favorably as Apple Bottom Jeans (Corey Callahan) and Eclipse Me N (Simon Allard) alternated for the early lead, odds-on favorite Caviart Ally (Andrew McCarthy) made a powerful brush to command before a :56 opening half and Write Me A Song (Gingras) applied first-over pressure into the final turn. Tetrick guided Bettor’s Up to the 3-path and he closed furiously to win in a blanket finish over Caviart Ally and Apple Bottom Jeans, with the top three heads apart at the wire.
Nick Surick owns and trains Bettor’s Up, who won for the 20th time and eclipsed $900,000 in earnings.