By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
​WILKES-BARRE PA – The perennial “king” of the driving colony at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, George Napolitano Jr., is serving early notice that he will be tough to dethrone in 2021, posting his second straight card of six winning races on Sunday. The double sextet now gives George a 38-31 advantage over his brother Anthony, and quick math shows the pair has won 41% of all races held at the mountain track during the first twelve days of the meet.
 
Two of George’s six-bagger came for trainer Gilbert Garcia-Herrera, who now has nine visits to the Pocono winners circle this year, one more than Jennifer Bongiorno and Dan Maier. The pair’s most impressive hookup of the night was with the Art Major mare Crazy Cute, who had had 80 days since her last race, but still was able to set the pace and come home in :55.2 to win in 1:53.4. The triumph for the partnership of Garcia-Herrera and Barbara Arnstine was the fastest clocking of the twilight card.
 
Perhaps the most impressive mile in the flirting-with-freezing conditions was turned in by the Caviar Crown gelding Wilberforce, who made every pole a winning one for driver Jim Morrill Jr. in trotting to a 1:55.3 triumph. Trainer Kris Rickert co-owns the winner of $347,554 with Dale Wareham.
 
Fourteen of the fifteen horses claimed out of the first round of the Game Of Claims Trotting Series for $15,000-base-priced horses, including three of the four winners, are scheduled to go to the gate Monday afternoon for their new connections in four $15,000 second round prelims. Monday’s first post is 12:30 p.m.; program pages are available at https://www.phha.org/downsmsppps.html.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
​​WILKES-BARRE PA – The sister-brother team of trainer Jennifer Bongiorno and driver Joe Bongiorno took the Saturday afternoon spotlight at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, combining for three victories, although the Downs’s all-time leading driver, George Napolitano Jr., earned some glory as well with six winning drives.
 
The Bongiornos combined with the Mach Three gelding J M Mandamin, unraced since December 26 and yet still ready in his 2021 debut to put on a powerful performance, winning in 1:50.3, the fastest mile of the year locally and just a tick off his mark taken here last season. Robert Weinstein saw his gelding bring his lifetime earnings to six figures with the triumph.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
​WILKES-BARRE PA – The Bettor’s Delight gelding Love The Action, who sat out last week’s Game Of Claims Pacing Series final preliminary for $10,000-based pacers after posting a second and a first, got into the final as the last of nine qualifying horses, one point ahead of the AE1, and then he made the wait worthwhile by winning the $20,000 Series Championship in 1:53.4 on Sunday at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
 
Claimed by trainer Gilbert Garcia-Herrera and owner Gilbert-Garcia Owen from his series triumph, Love The Action was sent off the 6-5 favorite, and driver George Napolitano Jr. was very aggressive with him, hanging Bamski to a :26.4 opening number, then reclaiming command by the :55.4 half. Second choice Sweet Talkin Satin, the only horse at any level of the series to win all three of his prelims, came the rough first-over trip to the 1:24.1 three-quarters and pressured the leader into the stretch.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Glengarry Knight N, a double winner in the preliminaries of the Game Of Claims Pacing Series for $25,000 base-claiming-price level, came off of cover and just caught American Rebel to take the richest purse of the year to date at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, $50,000, in winning his series Championship in 1:52.3.
 
A Real Miracle streaked to the early lead in the contest, rejecting the bid of favored Melanie’s Tedy for the front spot and forcing that one to tuck in, then letting stablemate American Rebel go to the top past a :27.1 quarter. The last-named pacer hit the half in :56, with Melanie’s Tedy forced to accept first-over duties and Glengarry Knight N following his cover under the guidance of Anthony Napolitano.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The Banker Volo gelding Itsonlymoneyhoney swung wide from second-over and was up late to catch pylonskimming Remarkable De Vie and win the $10,000 trotting feature during the first Monday card of the season at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
 
SVF Blusingbride took over from fast starter Remarkable De Vie past a 28.3 opener over a “good” surface, then backed off the half to :59. Heavy favorite Hashtagmadeyalook came up first-over down the backstretch and to the 1:27.3 three-quarters, with Itsonlymoneyhoney tailing the chalk’s cover.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The Always A Virgin gelding Sweet Talkin Satin, racing for a $10,000 base tag in the Game Of Claims Pacing Series at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, became the only horse in the Game Of Claims’ four levels to win all three of his preliminary legs while succeeding during the Sunday twilight card. The 11-year-old, with a $629,284 career bankroll, posted a 1:53.2 victory over sloppy going, smashing his field by 10¼ lengths.
 
And if he is to have success in next Sunday $20,000 series Championship, he’ll have to do it for yet another new barn – because Sweet Talkin Satin has now been claimed out of all three of those prelim victories.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – On Monday morning, Horsemen at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono will be checking with the Downs’ Racing Office to confirm that their horses – most of them new barn members after Saturday’s third and final preliminary round of the Game Of Claims Pacing Series – had enough points to make their rich finals on Saturday, March 6, and they likely will also be checking the availability of driver Anthony Napolitano, who had six wins Saturday, five in claiming preliminaries.
 
The horses entered in the section of the Series for $25,000-base price horses saw Melanie’s Tedy become the prelim point leader by virtue of a 1:54.3 triumph over sloppy going, joining Glengarry Knight N and Horsing Around as two-time winners in this class. Glengarry Knight N was second-leading point earner – and Horsing Around, despite his double victories, did not even rank in the top nine horses in the totals, as he skipped the first week, and now has to hope for defections to get in the $50,000 Championship.