Pocono: Stakes star Dandy Ideal turns in strong qualifier

Dandy Ideal, one of the major players in the 3-year-old pacing male ranks last year, showed he was ready to start his 4-year-old season with a 1:52 2/5 victory in a Wednesday morning qualifier at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania.

The American Ideal gelding was sent to the lead by Jason Bartlett – fresh off his 12,000th career victory at Yonkers the night before – in a 28 4/5 opener. He then yielded to sit in the two-hole through middle fractions of 56 4/5 and 1:24 4/5, roared out on the turn and won by 3 3/4 lengths while clocking his own last quarter in 27 3/5 for trainer Hunter Oakes and owners Susan Oakes and Alan Johnston.

At 3, Dandy Ideal won 11 of 19 starts for earnings of $936,782. He won his Breeders Crown elim by a nose in 1:48 while defeating divisional champion Louprint and taking his mark, then finished second, just a neck behind Sippinonsearoc in the Crown finale. Also on his 2025 scorecard were the Hempt Pace at Pocono and numerous successes in the New York program.

Two 3-year-olds with stakes ambitions also won during the session. The Huntsville filly Odds On Monetary came her back-half raw in 55-27 2/5 to get the decision in 1:53 1/5 in a four-pacer picture for driver Matt Kakaley, trainer Travis Alexander and Odds On Racing. The Chapter Seven miss Aviatrix Blue Chip, second in the recent Weiss Trotting Series Final to series sweeper Concise, sat in the golden chair and then powered off to a 3 1/4 length decision in 1:56, her own back splits in 56 4/5-28. Jason Bartlett drove the Jared Bako trainee for Blue Chip Bloodstock Inc.

Bartlett had three success stories in the seven-race session, while Kakaley had two, and trainer Alexander saw three of his charges taste victory.

Pocono qualifiers can be seen at www.phha.org.

-edited release (Pocono/PHHA)