WILKES-BARRE PA – The Game Of Claims Pacing Series’ first preliminary round was again featured during the Sunday twilight program at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, on this card featuring horses with base tags of $7500 and $10,000 in their respective competitions.
Once again, the claiming box was the subject of much attention, with 19 more horses changing hands on Sunday. This raised the total for the Saturday-Sunday cards to 60 horses moving to new homes, with the final amount paid out for competitive horses in the lucrative series rising to $1,001,500 during the two days.
Three out of the four winners in the $10,000 events for $10,000 base-tag pacers changed hands after their racetrack exertions. George Napolitano Jr. drove one of these victorious horses, one who shared the quickest clocking at this level, 1:54.1 – the American Ideal gelding Myidealson N, who went out a winner for trainer Matias Ruiz and the Friendship Stables LLC. George also handled the one $10,000 success who did not change barns, the Somebeachsomewhere gelding P-Drive Hanover, who also stopped the clock at 1:54.1 for trainer Gilbert Garcia-Herrera and owner Gilbert Garcia-Owen.
With everybody coming from other raceways for opening weekend and with many horses coming off of layoffs, only four favorites won on each card Saturday and Sunday, and the average win payoff for the weekend was $16.75.