The ascension of Caution Signs continued at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono Saturday, as he won his fourth straight race, and second straight Open over a less-than-prime track on a cooling and wet evening.

 

The son of Dream Away was sent right to the front by Joe Pavia Jr., putting up a split of :26.1 to open, and he then came home in :55.1 - :27.2 in the off going to hold off Scott Rocks by a neck in 1:49.2 with Blatantly Best third.

 

The five-year-old was eligible to "non-winners of five races lifetime" when claimed for $12,500 at Yonkers on April 16 by owner/trainer Tracy Brainard. Since then Caution Signs has climbed the class ladder while posting a 10-7-3-0 record, earning $92,925 in the three-month period.

 

A pair of $24,000 co-features, one on each gait, also took to the track Saturday after the rains had come and the temperature cooled. Auspicious Hanover upped his 2015 record with trotting hopples to 3-4, and Pennsylvania record with them to 3-3, when he won wire-to-wire in 1:54.1 for trainer Chris Oakes and owner Susan Oakes. The altered son of Andover Hall, driven by Kevin Wallis, returned $53.20 to win despite beating a very similar crew at Harrah's Philadelphia two races back.

 

Wallis almost swept the 'under-features', but his charge Mustang Art came up three-quarters of a length short to Sparky Mark, a 1:50.4 winner in the pacing event. The winning son of Astreos made an early move to command and held sway to the wire, nudging his bankroll ever-closer to seven figures, with the current total $941,556. Simon Allard guided Sparky Mark for trainer/brother Rene and owners Kapildeo Singh and Michael Assante.