By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The Real Desire mare Premier Desirey came her own back half in :55.3 while uncovered in taking the $17,000 pacing feature for females in a lifetime best 1:52.1 on a spring-like Monday afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania.
 
Race favorites Shesnoaprilfool and Kiss My Cheek put up the early splits of :27.1 and :56.1 respectively, with Anthony Napolitano wheeling the winner up to challenge the latter before the 1:23.2 three-quarters. Kiss My Cheek was stubborn, but Premier Desirey wound up prevailing by three-quarters of a length for patient owner/trainer Harold Herrera, who won five of six starts after purchasing the distaff at three, then had only two qualifying wins and one living foal from the pacer in the succeeding 47 months before getting her back to the races late last year.
 
There were no repeat winners in the seven $12,000 divisions of the second preliminary of the Game Of Claims Pacing Series for horses base-tagged at $17,500 this week, but four of the winners were victorious after joining new barns via claim after the first round, and three of those went unclaimed during Monday’s racing. Among that group was the fastest GOC winner of Monday, the Tellitlikeitis gelding Prefect Promises, who came first-over after fast early fractions to post a career best of 1:51 for driver Braxten Boyd, trainer Geovany Hernandez, and owner Josue Garcia.
 
Two other horses paying immediate dividends on a claim were 1:52.4 winners and returned to newly-familiar surroundings: Realrubies At Play, a Shadow Play gelding, who lowered his mark as the only true come-from-far-back winner of the day for driver George Napolitano Jr., trainer Kevin Reynolds Jr., and owner William Hartt, and the Rock N Roll Heaven gelding In Rock We Trust, adapting quickly to his new handlers, driver Simon Allard and trainer/owner Mark Akins.
 
The fourth Monday winner claimed last week exchanged hands again: the Big Jim gelding Springbridge Duel, who was driven by Anthony Napolitano to his second win in three 2025 starts while concluding his brief stay with trainer Cory Stratton and Stratton Stables Inc in 1:52.2. The other GOC winner on the day to be taken from the claiming box was the Heston Blue Chip gelding Blowin Smoke, never behind in a 1:51.4 mile for driver Matt Kakaley, trainer Darren Taneyhill, and owner Tessa Perrin. (Both of these horses went to the ownership of Jose Cervantes.)
 
The other two GOC success stories were driven by George Napolitano Jr., who had five winners on the day, one more than the only other driver to win a Pocono dash crown since 2009, Kakaley. This duo of “GNap” horses, neither of whom started in the first leg, were Daamericansky, an altered son of American Ideal who has won four of his last five and was timed here in 1:51.4 for trainer Kevin Reynolds Jr. (the only training doubler on the day) and owner Kathleen Napolitano, and the Mach Three gelding Rebellious, who recorded his 76th career victory while opening the card in 1:52.4 for trainer Bryson Dunning and P T Stable.
 
In all, nine horses were claimed on the day for $150,000, running the 2025 totals to 56 claims for $1,035,000 after just eight racing programs (with three of those contributing only two claims total).
 
The spring racing week concludes on Tuesday with a 1 p.m. card; highlighted will be no fewer than nine $9000 divisions of the first prelim of the Game Of Claims Pacing Series for $10,000 base-priced claimers, along with a carryover in the last race High 5 wager. Racing will then resume on Saturday at 1 p.m., with the twin attractions of the $35,000 Game Of Claims Championship for $25,000 base-tagged horses, and the return of Chase H Hanover, who last Saturday went a 1:49.4 mile at a chilly Pocono, in the $25,000 fast-class feature. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org. 

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – On a windy Saturday afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania where the temperature never broke 40, Chase H Hanover “broke 50” – he lowered his own season’s record at the mountain oval from 1:50.2 to 1:49.4 by winning the $25,000 featured fast-class pace. His driver, Anthony Napolitano, was in a hurry all afternoon, winning six times on the card.
 
“ANap” roared away from the gate with the winning Cory Stratton-trained Captaintreacherous gelding, easily overcoming the outside post seven and laying down swift splits of :27, :55.3, and 1:22.2. The victorious winner of $1,096,016 did not let up in the stretch, with pocketsitting Spring Inhis Step A, the winner in this class last week, able to get no closer than 1¾ lengths at the finish for El Dorado Stables and Robert Weinstein, whose pacer has now won three of his last four outings.
 
Pocono also saw its fastest trotting mile of the year on the Saturday card in the form of a 1:54 win from the Bold Eagle mare Golden Rain S, who has now emerged first in four of her five Stateside starts. Jason Bartlett drew off impressively in a :28.1 last quarter with Golden Rain S, who took a new mark for trainer Per Engblom and the partnership of Engblom Stable LLC and Thomas Lind-Holm.
 
Anthony Napolitano won four of his six races during the final prelim round of the Game Of Claims Pacing Series, racing with a base tag of $30,000 this week, with each of six sections going for $17,000. The only horse going “perfect” in the prelims was the Stay Hungry gelding Lyon Surfing, who had the fastest time in the two previous prelims and this week tied for swiftest clocking with a 1:52 score. George Napolitano Jr. drove Lyons Surfing, who was claimed from owner William Hartt and trainer Kevin Reynolds Jr. seven days after they claimed him and seven days before the $35,000 Championship for this group.
 
Also stopping the timer at 1:52 was the Art Major gelding Belmont Major A, claimed out of the first leg by trainer Lou Pena and Todd’s Auto and since successful in two straight, here controlling the tempo. This was one of the GOC wins for “Anthony Nap,” who had none of his winners claimed – though the two series winners he did not handle will be changing barns.
 
The other horse going to a new barn is the So Surreal gelding Real Surreal, who was second in the first leg and claimed, first in the second leg and claimed, and Saturday first in 1:52.4 and again changing hands, something the veteran must be used to now. Owned by Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Real Surreal was trained by Ron Burke and driven by Jason Bartlett, each of whom won four times during the program, three times in partnership.
 
Two Anthony Napolitano winners came into the final prelim after being claimed by Marta Piotrow, and both won at first asking for the new stable. The Always B Miki gelding Striking Impact, second in the first two legs, took the day’s opener in 1:53.4 as a pocket rocket for owner Debbie Avery; Avery and David Flederbach co-own the Tellitlikeitis gelding Wattastory, strong on the lead in 1:52.3 for Team ANap/Piotrow.
 
In the other GOC division Anthony had to come first-over Bullville Frank, an altered son of Roll With Joe, but the horse proved to have too much for the field, winning over Captain Fancy, the only other horse to win his first two prelims. Final time was 1:53 for the Per Engblom trainee, owned by Zippett Racing Stable.
 
The Pocono horsemen’s competitions couldn’t be tighter. On the driving side: Tyler Buter, 18; George Napolitano Jr., 17; Jason Bartlett and Anthony Napolitano 16 each. Among trainers Ron Burke, winningest conditioner at the track four of the last five years, is tied in the 2025 stats with eight victories with Peter Pellegrino.
 
There is preliminary action in the Game Of Claims Pacing Series on Monday’s and Tuesday’s cards, both beginning at 1 p.m. On Monday, there will seven $12,000 divisions of the GOC for horses base-tagged at $17,500 for this second preliminary, with three sections featuring matchups between two first-round winners. And the Game Of Claims Series for horses initially valued at $10,000 will be contested on Tuesday, with no fewer than nine $9000 fields in the first prelim of this section of the GOC. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The ten-year-old Explosive Matter gelding Rich And Miserable won for the 56th time in his distinguished career when he captured the $12,500 featured trot on a mild Tuesday afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania – where he has captured exactly half, 28, of his lifetime victories.
 
Tyler Buter was in his usual spot behind Rich And Miserable, and he guided the veteran to the lead after favored College Tuition beat him out of the gate, reaching the quarter in :28 and soon yielding to that retaking opponent. College Tuition put up middle fractions of :57 and 1:25.3 while having You Got It, who was lucklessly rimmed the mile, at his wheel, and while that rival couldn’t quite get by, Rich And Miserable followed in the golden chair then went to the Pocono Pike and defeated the pacesetter by a neck in 1:54.4, with You Got It only a length from taking it all after his rough journey.
 
Todd Buter trains the evergreen trotter, now a career winner of $864,694, for the partnership of Buter Farm Inc. and Lynette Buter.
 
In the $11,000 co-featured trot, the margin was again a neck, and the final clocking a tick faster at 1:54.3, with the Wheeling N Dealin ridgling Kinnder Thinktwice pouncing off a second-over trip to defeat stubborn two-mover Purple Lord, with Cassius Hanover just a length off after setting the pace. Anthony Napolitano guided the winning favorite for trainer Susan Marshall, co-owner with John Marshall.
 
Seven sophomore pacing males eligible to their division of the Bobby Weiss Series, which starts on March 29, raced in a maiden pace, won impressively by the colt Federer, a son of Captaintreacherous out of a half sister to Captain Crunch, in his first start of the year and only his second lifetime purse race. Jack Pelling had the three-year-old sixth at the half, then unleashed him to pace a :26.4 third quarter to get into contention; the pair pressed and then passed a breaking leader, then withstood the debuting favored Captain Conan by a half-length while taking a maiden mark of 1:53.4. Jack’s father Brett Pelling trains the talented youngster and races him under his Pelling Racing LLC banner.
 
George Napolitano Jr. was the hot driver for the day with five victories, getting him to within 18-16 of meet leader Tyler Buter, who had three victories on the day and ten in the three-day week. Peter Pellegrino was the card’s only conditioning doubler as he sits atop the training table in the meet’s early going.
 
Pocono next races on Saturday at 1 p.m.; the $25,000 fast-class pace, with Spring Inhis Step A, Charlie May and Chase H Hanover among the field of seven, shares the spotlight with the final preliminary of the Game Of Claims Pacing Series for horses base-tagged at $30,000 this week, as the competitors look to earn spots in May 15’s $35,000 Championship and owners look for peaking horses to claim and compete in the final. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr.
​WILKES-BARRE PA – The Sweet Lou mare Louisville GB keeps slugging her way up the condition ladder with a strong front-end victory in the $17,000 distaff pacing feature Monday afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, winning in 1:53.1 with temperatures not much above freezing for the bulk of the card.
 
Tyler Buter, the sulky star of the day with five total visits to Victory Lane, looked to leave with Louisville GB but then backed her off until inside contention had settled itself. He put the winning GB-bred into gear at the :27.2 quarter, worked to the front and got a breather to a :57 half in a stretch headwind, then scurried to the three-quarters in 1:24.4. Buter kept his mare to mild encouragement and she was safe by 1¼ lengths at the wire over Kiss My Cheek. Robert Cleary trains the winner, now five-for-six Stateside, for Kenneth Jacobs.
 
Also among the overnight horses, the Chapter Seven gelding Chapolier became the first three-time winner of the meet, taking a $16,000 claiming handicap trot in 1:55.3 for driver Matt Kakaley. In his case, turnabout was the turnout – Chapolier was claimed for $25,000 by owner P T Stable and trainer Hunter Oakes last week, and this week he was haltered away again for the same price.
 
There were eight $12,000 divisions of the Game Of Claims Series for pacers valued at $15,000 for their first preliminary. This opening round proved to be a graveyard for favorites, as none of the eight horses most fancied by the crowd found their way back to the winner’s circle. However, drivers Jim Pantaleano, Anthony Napolitano, and Tyler Buter were successful twice in the day’s GOC action.
 
The fastest mile in series action came in the very first race of the day, as the Captaintreacherous gelding Shipshape shipped from The Meadows with four wins in his last six starts, but none of them higher than at a $7000 pricetag. He handled the class jump with aplomb on the front end, with the timer freezing at 1:52.2 for Pantaleano, trainer Justin Pirillo, and owner Gianna Pirillo. Not far behind in time was the Somebeachsomewhere gelding Remember The Beach, also setting a fast pace and winning in 1:52.4 for “ANap,” trainer Emily Bost, and owner James Mc Donald.
 
Buter’s series winners were two of three GOC winners to be claimed. One was the horse now called Gentlemanjim II IR (formerly Gentlemanjim II IE), a Kikikolt gelding home first in 1:54.4 as he left the care of trainer Herbert Lux III and owners William Mullen and Carver Racing LLC; the other was the Huntsville gelding Ben Solo, winning in 1:54.2 for “old connections” trainer Matthew Medeiros and owner Jesmeral Stable. (It was Ben Solo’s second straight win; another series winner making it two straight was Trey Rockette, the Yankee Cruiser gelding victorious in 1:53.3 for driver Jim Marohn Jr., trainer Edwin Quevedo, and owner Bryan Quevedo.)
 
The third claimed winner was the Tellitlikeitis gelding Tellitsabb, making two big moves in a 1:53.4 win for driver Brad Irvine as he leaves trainer Lee Morris, co-owner with Mindy Repko. (In all, 11 horses were claimed from the series for $165,000, and with two “overnight trotters” claimed including Chapolier also taken, the day’s total counts were 13 and $205,000.)
 
The other winner for GOC driving doublers Napolitano and Pantaleano were, respectively, the Bettor’s Delight gelding Majestic Kiwi N, a bomber at $83.20 (longest price of the short season) in 1:55.3 for trainer Paul Blumenfeld and owner Jordan Schafer, and TJ’s Indy Pacer, an altered son of JK Endofanera who got home first in 1:55.1 for trainer Darren Taneyhill and owner Mark Jakubik.
 
Tuesday racing rejoins the Pocono basic schedule as the next card at the mountain oval with a 1 p.m. post time; there will be a carryover into the fifth race Pick 5 pool and another into the 16th race High 5 betting. Racing then resumes on Saturday, with a $25,000 fast-class pace and six divisions of the final Game Of Claims Series preliminary, with horses valued at $30,000 this week looking to earn spots in March 15’s $35,000 series Championship – with owners looking for sharp horses likely to keep the claiming box active. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org. 

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Spring Inhis Step A, slow to clear after a third-in trip last time, took matters into his own hands in the $25,000 fast-class pace Saturday afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, barreling three-wide to the early lead and then holding off the field to post a 1:51.4 clocking in near-freezing temperatures.
 
Tyler Buter was pointed frontward with the Somebeachsomewhere gelding from the springing of the gate, limbed out wide to clear before a :27 opener, then backing off the half to :56. He sped up with the wind at his back to hit the three-quarters in 1:23.4, then remained in control to win by two lengths for trainer Jeff Cullipher and Pollack Racing Stable. The double millionaire Charlie May, having to negotiate the outside post in his 2025 bow, found cover entering the final turn then swung wide in the lane, and closed well to take second.
 
Chase H Hanover made two moves to control the pace in splits of :26.3, :55, and 1:22.2, then continued home strongly in the chill to lower the Pocono 2025 standard to 1:50.2 in a $16,500 event. The Captaintreacherous gelding, a pacing millionaire, was part of a big day for Anthony Napolitano (four driving wins in all, one more than Jason Bartlett), trainer Cory Stratton, and El Dorado Stables and Robert Weinstein.
 
There were also seven $17,000 divisions of the second prelim of the Game Of Claims Pacing Series for horses with a basic price tag of $27,500 in the second leg. Two horses, Lyons Surfing and Captain Fancy, were both repeat winners and claimed horses this week (though not last). The GOC second legs are tricky at Pocono in that the rules require a horse to start in all three preliminary legs to make the $35,000 Championship of the series, set for March 15 – so these horses seem assured of final spots, but for which barn, as they may be claimed again, for $30,000, next week?
 
But focusing on Saturday’s races: the GOC division won by Lyons Surfing was probably the most anticipated, as the victorious Stay Hungry gelding was taking on two other first-round winners, Genius Man and Levi. They finished 1-2-3 in the order mentioned, with Lyons Surfing (temporarily) lowering the Pocono seasonal mark from 1:52 to 1:51.3 while closing strongly for driver Anthony Napolitano (who won three series races on the day) and his former (future?) team of trainer Joe Bongiorno and his Joseph Bongiorno LLC, partners with Nicole Dicostanzo and Evans Nation.
 
The Captaintreacherous gelding Captain Fancy again used speedy tactics for driver Braxten Boyd (a doubler in the GOC), coming home in :55.3 to win in 1:52.4 to remain perfect in the GOC. Darren Taneyhill was in charge of the horse for this contest for LAV Racing Stable Inc.
 
A third Saturday winner going to a new home is the So Surreal gelding Real Surreal, who lost a five-race win streak spanning two years when photoed as second in the first leg, but here able to make his lead stand to the wire under Jim Pantaleano’s guidance in 1:52.3, leaving trainer Brandon Presto and owner Ameer Major as a winner in his only start for them locally after being claimed out of week one. (The Burke Brigade, who claimed Captain Fancy, finds this winner also joining their barn; in all, ten more horses were claimed in the second prelim, with $275,000 changing hands on the day.)
 
Anthony Napolitano’s two other Game Of Claims winners were Belmont Major A, an Art Major gelding who was claimed out of the first leg by trainer Lou Pena and Todd’s Auto and won at first asking in 1:52.4 - :55.2, and the Huntsville gelding To The Hunt, off over a month but still able to engineer a 17-1 upset in 1:53 for trainer Deborah Daguet and L T F Racing Stable. Braxten Boyd’s second GOC winner was also a bomber, as the Sweet Lou gelding Jo Pa’s Warrior came from seventh on the far turn to be along in 1:53.4 at 16-1 for trainer Sabrina Shaw and owner Mark Jakubik.
 
The other series winner bypassed the first leg, finishing second for a $15,000 tag, but the Hypnotic Blue Chip gelding Tru-Blu Hypnotic was ready for today's stepup in class, coming first-over and still prevailing in 1:53.3 for driver George Napolitano Jr., trainer Peter Pellegrino, and owner Kathleen Napolitano.
 
Racing resumes on Monday at 1 p.m. at Pocono, with a $17,000 featured distaff pace supplemented by eight $12,000 divisions of the Game Of Claims Series designated for $15,000-tagged pacers in their first prelim; there will also be a carryover into the fourth race Pick 3. There will be Tuesday racing at Pocono starting this week, also with a 1 p.m. post time. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.