Pocono: Dame Good Time equals world record

Ridge Warren was in the right place at the right time Tuesday afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania - and thus he got to drive Dame Good Time, who equaled the world record for older trotting geldings on a five-eighths-mile track with a tremendous 1:50 2/5 victory during the card's $27,500 fast-class handicap trot.

Originally, Dame Good Time's trainer Nick Devita had named Pocono's leading driver Tyler Buter to handle the Chapter Seven gelding, as Buter had qualified him twice at Pocono, but Buter went with the millionaire Ari Ferrari J (both would go off at 11-10, with the "Dame" having $27 more bet to win). Then, at scratch time Andy Miller was named, as he had driven the gelding to two recent top-drawer victories at Philly, but Miller and Team Orange Crush had seven babies in to go during a marathon morning qualifying session at Philly (of which they won four), knocking his timetable askew.

So, Warren got the drive behind the extremely-sharp trotter, and from post five he settled him third as Ari Ferrari J set fractions of 26 4/5 and 55 seconds. Warren right-lined the trotter in the backstretch and the horse responded with a 27 second quarter to clear to the lead just after a 1:22 2/5 three-quarters, then had no trouble in maintaining a safe margin home for owner John Cummins.

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The 1:50 2/5 clocking matched the world standard first set by Hillexotic at Philadelphia in 2023 and then equaled at Scioto twice last year, first by Prince Of Honor and then by Oh Look Magic. The time of 1:50 2/5 also lowered the local divisional standard set by Sevruga in 2013 by a tick.

--press release (Pocono)--