Photo: Curtis Salonick
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.
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.
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