Pocono: Wiggle It Jiggleit dominates on Sun Stakes finals night

Wiggle It Jiggleit stole the show on Sun Stakes night at Mohegan Sun Pocono on Saturday. The sophomore made the difficult look easy capturing the $500,000 Max Hempt Memorial for driver Montrell Teague in 1:48 2/5.

In a night that saw close finishes, Teague made certain no one would get close to the altered son of Mr Wiggles, pacing a final quarter in 27 4/5 while leaving pocket-sitting Artspeak in the dust. In The Arsenal was a solid third with North America Cup champion Wakizashi Hanover rallying for fourth.

Teague confirmed after that race that the winner of 13 of 14 lifetime starts may have lost the only race of his career simply because he couldn’t see a rival coming at him. That loss to Wakizashi Hanover was clearly atoned for on Saturday night.

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“We opened him up,” said Teague, referring to a bridle change.

Owned by George Teague Jr. and trained by Clyde Francis, Wiggle It Jiggleit is moving on to the Meadowlands Pace (eliminations on July 11) as his next assignment.

Close finishes decided the outcomes in four key races on the night, with Luck Be Withyou and George Napolitano Jr. holding off a late bid by George Morton Levy winner Domethatagain to score in the $500,000 Ben Franklin. It was the biggest victory of Napolitano’s career.

Luck Be Withyou drew outside in the field of nine and Napolitano did what he does best nightly at Pocono, that is leave the gate. After a quarter in 26 2/5 the driver expected company.

“I was looking for a two-hole trip,” said Napolitano after the race. “When no one came I decided to backpedal.”

Nikki Sherman Luck Be Withyou gets a kiss.

The waltzing-like 55-second half made it into a final half sprint with the ageless Foiled Again not able to accelerate without cover during the 26 4/5 third quarter. Only Domethatagain, the pocket-sitter, had any chance at all in the stretch, but he came up short in the photo of the 1:49 mile. State Treasurer finished third.

John Craig owns Luck Be Withyou and Chris Oakes trains the 4-year-old by Western Ideal.

Jimmy Takter’s pair of Pinkman and Uncle Lasse crossed the wire nearly together wth Pinkman scoring in a world record (3-year-old trotting gelding on a five-eighths track) 1:51 3/5 in the $500,000 Earl Beal Jr. Memorial for sophomore male trotters. Pinkman, a gelded son of Explosive Matter, went down the road shaking off pressure from Centurion ATM on the final turn and lasting over his stablemate with a 27 4/5 final quarter. Yannick Gingras drove the winner.

“I drove him the same way this week as I did last week,” said Gingras.

Trainer Takter had said prior to the race that Pinkman’s defeat in the elimination a week earlier may have been due to a low red blood count. Crazy Wow rallied for third.

Takter indicated that the Beal one-two finishers will likely skip the Dancer at the Meadowlands on July 18.

Pinkman is owned by John and Jim Fielding, Christina Takter and J. McClelland.

It was a wild affair in the $300,000 James Lynch Memorial with 15-1 longshot Bettor Be Steppin rallying late to capture the event in 1:50 4/5 for driver Corey Callahan and trainer Joe Holloway in a photo over 32-1 shot Single Me. Momas Got A Gun finished third.

Stacia Hanover and Wicked Little Minx dueled through fractions of 26, 54 1/5 and 1:21 4/5 before succumbing to the closers in the homestretch.

For Bettor Be Steppin’s trainer Joe Holloway it was a sweet victory. “I guess it was good that we had two in there. When one got out of the way it let the other through,” said Holloway of his good fortune.

Val D’Or Farms, Rojan Stables and Ted Gewertz own the filly that will travel next to the Meadowlands for the Mistletoe Shalee eliminations.

Sebastian K made his long awaited return to the races in a $75,000 Invitational, but he couldn’t handle the late kick of JL Cruze in the homestretch, losing a tight photo in 1:51. John Campbell drove the winner to his 14th victory of the season.

“There’s no quit in him,” said Campbell following the race.