The second preliminary round of the Game Of Claims series for the highest-priced selling horses at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania highlighted the Saturday afternoon sloppy-track action at the northeast Pennsylvania oval. Matt Kakaley took two $23,649 divisions with winners from last week, and Anthony Napolitano guided the other four $37,162-base-priced success stories. (The purchasing ante goes up slightly each prelim week in the Game Of Claims.)
“Success story” is just the right term to use in talking about the Custard The Dragon gelding Dontpokethedragon, as he became the first harness horse in North America to get to eight wins in 2024 while winning his 10th straight race, this time from off cover, in 1:53 for Kakaley. Also staying unbeaten in two GOC outings was Flashy Dude, who was moved outside on the far turn and paced to the fore in 1:53.4. Both the double winners were haltered out of their races; in all on the day, there were 10 horses purchased via the claiming box for $380,912.
The game of claiming musical chairs figures to intensify next Saturday for the final prelim, as horsemen with itchy chequebooks will have an improved sense of who is likely to make this group’s rich championship.
Anthony Napolitano’s four winners in the series included two horses who were not moving to new surroundings after their races: the aptly-named The Best Tyme Ever, who set a new lifetime best of 1:52.2, and Chiefs Beach, who won in identical time to share series speed honors for the day. “ANap” had two other visits to Victory Lane with horses who moved into new accommodations: Will The Wizard A (1:52.3) and Always A Look (1:53.1).
In overnight racing, two $22,973 divisions of a trotting class for developing horses were taken by pupils of Michael Burke, North America’s winningest trainer, while campaigning for Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC: the Resolve mare Enola in 1:58, a new speed badge, for driver Simon Allard, and the Justice Hall gelding Stormont Drive in 1:55.3 for driver Kakaley, who matched Anthony Napolitano with four triumphs overall on the day.
There were also a pair of $22,297 fast-class events. On the trot, the veteran Explosive Matter gelding Rich And Miserable recorded the fastest diamond-gaited mile of the meet with a 1:54 victory for driver Tyler Buter, trainer Todd Buter, and owners Buter Farms Inc. and Lynette Buter. Fronting the pacers was the Captaintreacherous gelding Jilliby Dynamite A, guided home first in 1:52.2 by Bradley Chisholm for trainer Nifty Norman and the partnership of Tom Vassiliou, Cool Cat Racing Inc., Nicholas Tallarico, and Archie Mc Neil.
For the second straight Monday, there will be no overnight races at Pocono, as during the 1 p.m. 14-race card there will be seven $13,513 divisions of a Game of Claims pace for horses base-tagged at $23,649, and a like number of $10,135 contests for pacers carrying a base-price of $12,162. Tuesday’s card has been expanded to 15 races to give the overnight horses a chance to race during the popular Game Of Claims action.
(With files from PHHA/Pocono Downs)