On a warm April afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, driver Jim Pantaleano won three of Tuesday’s (April 4) five $20,000 divisions of the first preliminary leg of the Game Of Claims Trotting Series for $25,000 base-tag horses, including two horses trained by Scott Betts.
Pantaleano and Betts produced the fastest series winner in the Muscle Massive gelding Manofmanymuscles, who led the entire last half in lowering his mark by two seconds to 1:54.2 for owner Timothy Betts. The trainer-driver team also posted a victory with Worthy Of Honor, who covered the mile in 1:56.3.
Pantaleano’s other winner was Nice Stuff, now two-for-three in 2023 after a 1:56.3 success for trainer Laura Angle. The other two series winners in the initial prelim were Its A Horse (1:54.3, Matt Kakaley) and Elegant Dulupin FR (1:56.2, Mark MacDonald).
None of the five winners was claimed out of the first leg; in fact, there were only two horses who changed hands in the five races, although that total will likely grow in subsequent rounds now that owners and trainers have seen a Pocono race from the horses, many of whom shipped in from points throughout the eastern half of North America.
The Bobby Weiss Series for developing three-year-olds, named after the legendary longtime Pocono trackman, get underway with a bang on Pocono’s next card of action, Saturday, April 8 at 1 p.m. The three-year-old pacing colts will have five $20,000 divisions of their first prelim. There will also be two $20,000 sections of trotting colts. Program pages for all Pocono races will be available at the Pennsylvania Harness Horsemen's Assocation website.
(PHHA / Pocono)