Pocono: Town Hall Justice wins Weiss final

Team Allard has now taken both $30,000 Bobby Weiss Series Championships conducted so far at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, adding another distaff victory to pacer Cardiff’s yesterday with a recent acquisition, the trotter Town Hall Justice, who lowered her mark by three seconds to 1:53 4/5 despite a track that was downgraded to “good” after midcard rain.

The victorious Justice Hall mare forced a 27 2/5 quarter before yielding to Run Lindy Run, then came out soon after her opponent tripped the timer in 56 2/5 at the half. Simon Allard got his charge to the lead late on the backstretch, with the two favorites Fade Into You (two-time prelim winner) and Spring In Paris (three-time prelim winner) on her heels at and past the 1:24 2/5 three-quarters.

Despite the presence of the heavyweights on her tail, Town Hall Justice was more than equal to the challenge, proving a length better than Fade Into You, with Spring In Paris another 1-1/2 lengths back. Owned by Simon’s brother, trainer Rene Allard, Town Hall Justice had been 1-for-33 lifetime before going to her current home – for whom she is now 2-for-2.

In this Weiss division’s $15,000 consolation, the Kadabra mare Northern Dream took a new mark of 1:57 4/5 in an exciting finish that saw five horses within three-quarters of a length at the wire. Northern Dream, trained by Michael Rashkin for owner Timothy Betts, was sent three-wide late on the backstretch by driver George Napolitano Jr., got to two-wide midturn, and just was able to nose out pacesetting favorite Critical Hanover in the last step.

It’s seldom at Pocono that a horse who’s seventh, 3-plus lengths out, and four-wide at headstretch looks like a winner, but Eclipse Me N had the look of eagles at the seve-eighths in the $21,500 fast-class mares pace, and she produced an eighth somewhere in the vicinity of 13 to be a going-away two length winner in 1:51. The Allard brothers again were the team behind the talented Real Desire mare, who has earnings of $224,744 for Allard Racing Inc., Yves Sarrazin, and Donald Mac Rae.

FINISHING LINES – The world’s fastest trotter, Homicide Hunter (1:48 4/5), will be out to qualify tomorrow morning (Wednesday) at Pocono. George Napolitano Jr. is set for sulky duty for trainer Chris Oakes, just as the pair teamed to win their Breeders Crown event at the mountain oval last year. Homicide Hunter will start from post six in race six.

-edited release (PHHA/Pocono)