By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Bettor’s Western had been racing from behind as his form sharpened during his Game Of Claims series action for $7500 base-tag horse, but when he went for $15,000 in his GOC Championship Monday afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, George Napolitano Jr. took him to the front and authored a 1:53.3 victory.
 
“George Nap,” top driver on the day with three victories, was pointing the Bettor’s Delight gelding frontward from post four at the start, but inside foes showed speed, so he tucked before the :27.1 quarter, then was back out to take over the racetrack well before the :56 half. With the pocket horse gapping out down the backstretch, Bettor’s Western was able to open up a good-sized lead to the 1:24.1 three-quarters, and he was kept to mild encouragement to defeat second-place Pantheon Hanover by a length for trainer Emily Bost, who is also co-owner with Steve Salerno; they stay the owners of the winner, as there is no claiming in the GOC Championships.
 
Saturday is April 1, and with April the Pocono schedule expands to its “normal size” of four cards a week, from Saturday through Tuesday. Sunday post time changes to 6 p.m. to fit in with sister track Harrah’s Philly, which opens Sunday at 12:40 p.m.; the other three days will find the trotters and pacers first go to the gate at 1 p.m. Program pages for all Pocono races are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/downsmsppps.html.  

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Classifiedmaterial, who had to win his final prelim in the Game Of Claims Pacing Series to make the Championship, added a second straight victory on Sunday afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, taking the $25,000 GOC Championship for $15,000 base-tagged horses in 1:53.1.
 
The meet’s leading driver, Matt Kakaley, kept the victorious altered son of Bettor’s Delight midfield as a crowded front-end produced spirited fractions of :27, :55, and 1:23. Classifiedmaterial was hustled to the three-wide path late in the backstretch and gained through the far turn, then bettered the Pocono Pike charge of pocketsitting Territory by a half-length.
 
A 7-1 betting proposition, Classifiedmaterial had lost thirteen straight starts dating back to November 4, but with his two recent successes found his best strides at the right time. Herbert Lux III trains Classifiedmaterial for owners Bill Mullin and Howard Taylor. And he’ll have a chance to make it three straight for his connections in his next start, as there is no claiming in GOC Championship races.
 
In the $17,000 top trot of the day, Southwind Arturo saved ground, then was niftily guided by Tyler Buter through a developing stretch hole and trotted strongly to win in 1:56.1. A four-year-old son of Muscle Hill, Southwind Arturo earned a new mark with the victory for trainer Deborah Daguet and owner Stephen Klunowski.
 
The trotter Sylvesteramericait paid by far the biggest win price of the young Pocono season when he took advantage of breaking foes to storm home and pay $135.20 after a 1:55.2 victory.
 
Simon Allard took sulky honors on the day with four successful steers.
 
The Monday 1 p.m. card at the mountain oval will present the last of the Game Of Claims Championships to be featured in March, a $15,000 contest for horses who started their series base-priced at $7500. Believeinthespirit, the only two-time winner in the preliminaries, drew the rail to aid his chances as he goes for the big money. Program pages for all Pocono races are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/downsmsppps.html.  

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Despite a surface rated “good” all afternoon, fast times and inside-placed speed were the order of the Saturday card at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania. Only one horse outside at the three-quarters won and only two were second, and Park Official certainly avoided those non-beneficial paths while fronting his $40,000 Game Of Claims Series Championship foes. The Art Official gelding marched home first in 1:53.4 to complete a “sweep” after winning all three of his prelims.
 
Anthony Napolitano, top pilot of the day at Pocono with four successes, pointed the winner frontwards as the gate sprang, but they were looped by Play The Field, who left like a shot from the outside post eight and crossed over on Frontier Rollo early. “ANap” calmly got his pacer rolling and had the lead by the :27.3 first split, then got a big breather to the half in :57.2.
 
Division Bell, held as the second choice off of two wins and a second in his prelims, made a grinding move down the backstretch to the 1:25.1 three-quarters and continued on the turn, but then he lost gait approaching headstretch, and the road was clear for Park Official. Frontier Rollo made a strong inside rally, but came up a length shy.
 
Park Official, who pushed his career earnings to $218,881 with the victory, had lost nineteen straight races before the Game Of Claims, but he broke his streak in the first round and was claimed by trainer Marta Piotrow and owner Debbie Avery. He won the second leg for them and was claimed again, then won the third leg and was reclaimed by Team Avery/Piotrow, which proved to be a very savvy investment. And the winner gets to “stay home,” as there is no claiming in the Game Of Claims Championships.
 
In the $25,000 fast-class pace, Sonny Weaver N followed the pattern of the day, made the lead before the ¼ and went on to lay down splits of :28, :56.4, and 1:24.1 before hitting the wire in 1:51.3 in the off going. The Sunshine Beach gelding, driven by George Napolitano Jr., raised his lifetime bankroll to $344,270 for trainer Jeff Cullipher, co-owner with Pollock Racing LLC.
 
The fastest mile of the year at Pocono was turned in by the Always B Miki gelding Dontpassme Hanover, who stopped the timer in 1:50.4. Tyler Buter moved the winner of two straight to the lead past a :27.2 opener, and the pair were in total control through midsplits of :55 and 1:23.1, crossing the wire with daylight behind for trainer Mark Harder, co-owner with Rick Phillips. 
 
The trotters were not to be outdone, though, as the Walner gelding TNT Blue Chip also won his second consecutive start, this one in 1:54.1 for not only the Pocono’s seasonal record but a new lifetime mark. Anthony Napolitano used his sharp horse hard to make the lead past a :27.1 quarter, but TNT Blue Chip just kept on rolling, putting up splits of :55.4 and 1:24.4 with nobody getting close to him to the line. Trainer Bruce Clarke, who owns the horse with Patricia Waldeck, certainly has found the key to this horse early in 2023.


Sunday’s 1 p.m. card at The Downs will feature the $25,000 Game Of Claims Series Championship for the top pointearners in the class that started for a basic tag of $15,000. No one swept the three prelims at this level, but both P L Leeroy and Mister Daytona N, who tied for top pointwinner with two wins and seconds, are among the eight sharp horses ready to show down Sunday. Program pages for all Pocono races are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/downsmsppps.html. 

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – After five $7500 divisions of the third and final preliminary leg of the Game Of Claims Pacing Series for $7500 base-tag pacers Monday afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, there was only one horse who won twice in the prelims, Believeinthespirit.
 
The Art Major gelding took his first series start, got too far behind from an outside post last week, but here was able to pace up raw and take a length decision over Soho Wallstreet A in 1:55.1 under Anthony Napolitano’s handling. Trainer Crit Walsh co-owns the veteran with Lily Cimino, and they escaped the afternoon bringing their double visitor to Victory Lane back to the barn with them.
 
Walsh, “ANap,” and Lily Cimino had another GOC winner, this one in partnership with Just Enough LLC, in Pack Your Bags, whom they claimed last week and who promptly won for them in 1:55.3. Pack Your Bags also was not claimed – in fact, although five horses were claimed Monday, none of them were winners on the day.
 
Simon Allard drove two first-time starters at this GOC level to victory, with neither likely to earn a starting spot next Monday’s $15,000 final since participation in the series is rewarded each start. This seems especially unfortunate for Don’t Get Shocked, who recently won upon joining the Jody Dunning barn at Rosecroft, and then was tons the best against his GOC opposition. To put his 1:52.4 time (a new mark) in perspective, the fastest mile Saturday for $25,000-based horses was 1:52.2, and for $15,000-based horses Sunday was 1:53.4.
 
Allard’s other winner was Three Ways N, who dropped from a higher series level and posted a 1:55.1 success. The other Monday cut was won by Bettor’s Western (driver George Napolitano Jr.), who added a 1:55 victory to previous thirds in the series, and seems a good proposition to qualify for the Championship.
 
The Game Of Claims Championships will be the highlight of the upcoming  three-day racing week at Pocono during 1 p.m. cards on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. The Saturday card will feature a $40,000 final for the success stories for the base-$25,000 tag in their preliminaries; also on the Saturday card is a $25,000 pace for the fast-class set. Program pages for all Pocono races are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/downsmsppps.html.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
​​WILKES-BARRE PA – P L Leeroy, the only double winner in the first two preliminaries in his sector of the Game Of Claims Pacing Series at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, couldn’t complete a sweep of his prelims on Sunday afternoon in one of ten $12,500 divisions for horses priced at $20,000. Instead, he was joined by his conqueror Mister Daytona N and four other horses as two-time victors as their group’s preliminaries ended a week before their $25,000 Championship.
 
P L Leeroy set the pace on the frigid day at Pocono, but Mister Daytona N sat right on his back, then caught him up the inside in 1:55.2 as the entire field of seven was separated by a mere two lengths on the money. Both of the first two horses had been claimed out of their first two legs -- P L Leeroy did get that ”consecutive triple” as he was one of five horses on the day claimed for the $20,000 third-leg tag, while Mister Daytona N got to stay with owner/trainer Christen Pantaleano and driver Jim Pantaleano.
 
Only two of the ten winners were haltered Sunday, and both had previous series wins, but one of them was not even guaranteed a spot in the Championship by his second win in an unofficial post-competition tally. That would be Busboy Hanover (1:55.4, driver George Napolitano Jr.), who skipped a leg and thus was beaten out in the pointtotals by horses with a first, a second, and another checkgetting prelim effort, but still could get in if someone ahead of him did not declare. The same would apply to Sunday winners Mariner Seelster (1:54.1, Matt Kakaley) and Vasari N (1:54.3, Jim Pantaleano), who also skipped a leg.
 
The other horse earning his second GOC win and being claimed was Make Some Waves (1:54.2, Simon Allard). Other Sunday winners were Perkins (1:54.3, Jim Pantaleano’s third GOC win of the day), Classified Material (1:54, Tyler Buter), Intrigued Again (1:56, George Napolitano Jr.), Kept Under Wraps (1:56.1, Braxten Boyd), and Droptherakefreddy (1:53.4 for the fastest series win, Allard). Simon Allard wound up as the day’s top driver with five victories. 
 
The March preliminaries in the Game Of Claims series come to an end on the Monday 1 p.m. card, with five $7500 divisions of horses entered for an $11,000 tag; with no horse winning twice in the preliminaries, this action will be wide-open ahead of next Monday’s $15,000 Championship for this group. Program pages for all Pocono races are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/downsmsppps.html.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Park Official and Caviart Val both swept their three $20,000 preliminaries in the Game Of Claims Pacing Series by winning on the Saturday afternoon card at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania. Both of them were also claimed for the third straight week – this time for $30,000 each in the progressively-growing tag series – and trainer Jason Brewer, who had gotten both after $27,500 claims the week before, thus lost both streaking horses coming up to the $40,000 Championship next Saturday.
 
There were four horses who had won in the first two prelims, and Park Official (1:52.3, driver Tyler Buter) and Caviart Val (1:52.4, one of six winners for the second straight Saturday for Matt Kakaley) each defeated a two-time winner: Bravo Tex N (who was claimed) was third behind Park Official, and Division Bell (who was not claimed) was second behind Caviart Val. There were seven divisions of the third GOC prelim Saturday, and none of the other five winners had previously recorded a series victory, three of them making their debut at this level.
 
Trainer Brewer sent out a third winner in the Game Of Claims, Sombodyitreasure (Tyler Buter), whose win in 1:52.2 gave Brewer the three fastest winners in the series Saturday. No one claimed Sombodyitreasure; on the downside, with his only other series start being a third, the pacer may not be among the highest pointwinners being declared in on Monday morning.
 
The three newcomers to the GOC who won were Benji’s Best (1:54.1, Kakaley), who was claimed, and two who were not claimed, both trained by Darren Taneyhill: Guinness Panic (1:54.1, Anthony Napolitano) and Bellows Binge (1:55.3, Kakaley). Having a better chance than that trio of reaching the final was the day’s longest-priced horse, $40.40 upsetter Black Chevron N (Anthony Napolitano), who had two previous GOC fourths.
 
Surprisingly, there were only seven claims on Saturday for a total of $210,000, bringing the yearly totals to 72 claims for $1,455,125 in 11 cards. Horses cannot be claimed out of any Game Of Claims Championships.
 
There was also a pair of $18,500 events for the fast-class set. The pacers came first, and they were mastered by the So Surreal gelding Stop Staring, rallying out of the pocket to win in 1:53.2 for the meet leaders, driver Kakaley and trainer Travis Alexander. Stop Staring, handling a stepup in class with relative ease, finished a length ahead of Keystone Steam for Symmetry Stables LLC.
 
Dandy, who usually raced from behind in earning over $200,000 at three last year, followed up on a closing second in his 2023 debut with a 1:55 front-end victory in the fast-class trot. Driver/owner Jackie Ingrassia patiently guided the victorious son of Cantab Hall to the lead past the 3/8, and from there the Frank Ingrassia-trained diamondgaiter would not be caught, even as favored Eurobond narrowed in to within 1¾ lengths late. 
 
Sunday’s 1 p.m. card will contain another final preliminary leg of the Game Of Claims Series, with no fewer than ten $12,500 divisions of pacing action for horses with a base claiming price of $20,000 for this round. Seeing as P L Leeroy (who is among the entrants) is the only double winner in this bracket so far, there should be hot action on the racetrack and at the claiming box, looking ahead to the group $25,000 final on Sunday the 26th. Program pages for all Pocono races are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/downsmsppps.html.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The five $7500 divisions of the second preliminary action for Game Of Claims Pacing Series horses wearing a $9000 basic tag this week, held Monday at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, saw no repeat winners from the initial week of their series. 
 
Two of the five winners were claimed for the second straight week, but neither of those were the fastest winner. That honor went to Toddler Tantrum, who skipped the first preliminary, won in 1:53.3 for driver Braxten Boyd, and will be changing homes this week, along with winners/double claimees Pantheon Hanover (1:54.4., also with Boyd aboard) and Caviart Skipper (1:55.2, Jim Morrill Jr.)
 
The two winners who did get to go back to familiar surroundings after their Monday wins were Lincolnjames (1:54.4, Matt Kakaley) and Somwherenbrookln N (1:55.2, Tyler Buter).
 
The action at the claiming box, in terms of claims / money changing hands, totaled 4 / $36,000 Monday, 27 / $530,375 for the three-card week ending Monday, and 65 / $1,244,125 for the young meet.
 
In the $15,000 trotting feature for the overnight horses, the Walner gelding TNT Blue Chip lowered his mark to 1:54.3 under not the best of racing conditions under the guidance of Anthony Napolitano. TNT Blue Chip moved after the :28.2 quarter to take the lead, put up fractions of :57.2, and 1:26.1, and was under no threat in the stretch as he was victorious for trainer Bruce Clarke, co-owner with Patricia Waldeck.
 
For the second straight day Anthony Napolitano guided home four winners, giving him ten for the three-day racing week and tying him at the top of the meet standings with Matt Kakaley at 26.
 
The third and final preliminary legs of the Game Of Claims Pacing Series will be taking place over the 1:00 cards on this coming Saturday, Sunday, and Monday – the horses’ final chances to earn spots into their rich Championship the week afterwards, while the owners and trainers will be completing their game of “musical chairs” to see who can have a GOC favorite in their barn ahead of the finales. Program pages for all Pocono races are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/downsmsppps.html.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – There were four repeat winners in Saturday’s eight divisions of the second preliminaries of Game Of Claims Pacing Series for $27,500 base-tag horses, but during nine $12,500 divisions of the second-round GOC for $17,500-priced entrants Sunday at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, only P L Leeroy could post a repeat victory.
 
P L Leeroy, who changed hands after his first-round success, also will have to go to a new barn after Sunday’s 1:54.1 triumph for trainer Darren Taneyhill and owner Mark Jakubik, but at least that pair made the $6250 purse plus another $2500 for the upped claiming price, minus the week’s expenses. Anthony Napolitano got one of his four winners, high for the day, behind P L Leeroy.
 
Last week no favorites won in the seven divisions of the first preliminary for this price class, but today six chalk won in the nine divisions, including P L Leeroy and the three other winners who were claimed: Mister Daytona N (1:55.1, driver Anthony Napolitano, changing barns again after being claimed in the first leg as well); Rycroft N (1:54.4, Simon Allard), and Busboy Hanover (1:54.4, Braxten Boyd). 
 
The two other favorites to win in the GOC but not be claimed were Mariner Seelster (1:54.4, Matt Kakaley) and Saulsbrook Raptor (1:56.2, Allard); the other three unclaimed second-round winners were Make Some Waves (fastest of the day at 1:53.4, Allard, after being claimed last week); Cruise Patrol (1:54.4, “ANap”); and Brumby (equaling his life mark of 1:55.1 under Braxten Boyd’s guidance).
 
In all the 15-race card yielded 12 claims that totaled up to $185,000. After only nine 2023 local cards, over $1.2 million has changed hands via the claiming box.
 
Longtime Pocono presiding judge Larry Willis is retiring after the Monday card, and the “Farewell Larry Willis Pace” was the $15,000 overnight feature, with the Roll With Joe gelding Bullville Frank benefitting from a clever drive from Braxten Boyd to shoot up the inside late for a 1:53.2 victory. Bay City angled clear to be along for second, 1 1/4 lengths behind the winner, who is trained by Steve Crevani for Crevani Farms.
 
The March racing week at Pocono ends at Pocono Monday at 1 p.m., with the second Game Of Claims prelim for horses who will carry a $9000 base-tag on Monday, gathered in five $7500 divisions, along with some sharp horses in a $15,000 overnight trot. Program pages for all Pocono races are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/downsmsppps.html.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Four of the eight $20,000 divisions, for horses base-tagged at $27,500 this week, of the second preliminary for the Game Of Claims Pacing Series were repeat winners on Saturday afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono. Three of the four were claimed both last week and this; the other hasn’t had to make a barn change during the series action.
 
Over a sloppy track that had seen snow earlier in the day, Caviart Val was the only two-time winner claimed the first week who defeated another first-round winner (Century Fury, third, and also claimed). Caviart Val, timed in 1:55 in the muck, also draws the first spotlight because of his connections – trainer Darren Taneyhill, who won three GOC divisions, and driver Matt Kakaley, who reported home first six times on Saturday and now has 24 wins on the first eight 2023 cards.
 
Other second-time series winners changing barns again were Bravo Tex N (1:55.1, driver George Napolitano Jr.) and Park Official (1:55.3, Anthony Napolitano). The only double winner to stay put was Division Bell, winning in 1:56.4 for a teaming of “Anthony Nap” and Taneyhill in holding off first-round winner A Bettor Beach.
 
Taneyhill acquired his third GOC Saturday winner, Frontier Rollo, through the selling box last week, and here the horse posted a 12-1 upset in 1:55.2 while untaken. Other first-time winners in this group were Secrecy (the fastest winner this week in 1:54.2, Kakaley up); the aptly-named Mudville (1:55.4, Marcus Miller); and the only first-time series success who was claimed, Ideal Star N (1:56.4, Simon Allard).
 
Favorites went 1-for-18 in last week’s three days of Game Of Claims Series action; the crowd had it a little better on Saturday, as three of eight favorites overcame the tricky conditions. A total of eleven horses were claimed for $309,375 Saturday, putting the total selling figure over $1 million early in the meet.
 
The fast-class feature for pacers was an $18,500 contest taken by the extremely-promising Hemsworth N, a lightly-raced Sweet Lou gelding who overcame the outside post eight with a gritty two-move victory in 1:53 for Kakaley, wearing down the stubborn classmaster Nicholas Beach by a half length. Hemsworth N, trained by Ashley Eldred for 1362313 Ontario LTD, did not get to the races until four, then won 11 of 27 in his native land before coming to the States and going undefeated in three starts last year. The Kiwi just missed in his 2023 bow, then stamped himself as a pacer to watch winning here while raising his earnings to $100,511.
 
Sunday’s 1 p.m. card features nine $12,500 divisions of the Game Of Claims Series group that will race this week for a $17,500 tag. Program pages for all Pocono races are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/downsmsppps.html.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The Game Of Claims Series for $7500 base-priced horses conducted its first preliminary in four $7500 divisions on Monday afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania. And the highly-regarded horses at the widnows continued to take a shellacking in the claiming ranks –the chalk won in the GOC’s first Saturday prelim, and then the favorites amazingly lost the remaining seventeen contests for the selling pacers!
 
Even Monday’s fastest series winner at 1:53.4, the Art Major gelding Scrappin Gold, wasn’t the favorite though he won at even money, as second-place Pantheon Hanover went off at 4-5. The hot team of driver Matt Kakaley and trainer Travis Alexander combined behind the winner, but they and Fiddler’s Creek Stables LLC were the only winners to lose their horse via the claiming route.
 
Redhot Romeo (driver George Napolitano Jr., 1:55.4), Calvery Hill (Kyle DiBenedetto, 1:56.3), and Believeinthespirit (Anthony Napolitano, 1:55.1) all went back to familiar surroundings after their victories. Four horses were taken via the claiming box on Monday, meaning that the Game Of Claims first prelims generated 38 claims worth $733,750.
 
In the overnight feature, a $15,000 trot, the Dover Dan gelding Racer Dan came from well off the pace for driver Marcus Miller to overhaul the first-over grinder The American Eagle by a length in a lifetime best of 1:55.3. Steven Brabrook trains the sharp diamondgaiter for owner Nichole Webster-White.
 
Tyler Buter visited Victory Lane four times on Monday afternoon, giving him fifteen driving triumphs during the first seven days of the meet; he and Anthony Napolitano are tied for second, three wins behind Matt Kakaley.
 
Second preliminary round action in the Game Of Claims Series will be featured on the upcoming Saturday – Sunday – Monday cards starting at 1 p.m. The likely fancied horses in Saturday’s GOC second prelim action, eight $20,000 divisions for base-priced $27,500 horses, will be rooting as hard as the fans for a turnaround for horses attracting plenty of support. Program pages for all Pocono races are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/downsmsppps.html.