Photo: Curtis Salonick
By: Jerry Connors, Jr.
WILKES-BARRE PA – The leading driver at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, Tyler Buter, won half of Saturday’s fourteen races at the northeast Pennsylvania oval, including both features – one routinely (if a 12-1 win is ever routine) and the one after surviving an inquiry dealing with a late miscue. His seven-bagger matched one posted by Jason Bartlett as the most productive days at Pocono in 2025.
The feature races were a pair of $17,500 contests for horses on the improve, one each at their respective gaits. The Southwind Frank trotting gelding Credit To Frank won his race with a masterful drive by Buter, equaling his mark of 1:56. Kept off a flurry of early- to mid-race lead changes, Credit To Frank got in a good backstretch flow, swept to the lead into the stretch, and won over favored Kovu As, who had been first at the quarter – and last at the stretch call. Ron Burke conditions Credit To Frank for Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC.
In the pacing feature, Oakwood Heymiki IR ran his lifetime record to 19 for 40, but he had to survivie the blinking red neon before this 1:51.4 victory was official. Buter moved the heavy favorite to the lead early, strung out the field, and appeared to be on his way to an impressive but uneventful victory when he suddenly lost gait within 50 yards of the wire. The judges gave the video a hard look but deemed no rule violation, so Oakwood Heymiki IR (who did suffer “b.e.” in the incident) kept the victory for trainer Robert Cleary and the ownership of Royal Wire Products Inc. – who purchased the horse the day before the draw.
There was a pair of $16,000 claiming handicap paces for the local horses carrying in the highest tags. In one, Spring Blake won for the third time in his last five starts (he lost photos in the other two), sitting in the two-hole behind a contested pace, then pulling out on the far turn and racing away to a 1:51.2 triumph for Buter. The Courtly Choice ridgling had been claimed for $37,500 by Carmen Iannacone two starts ago and given over to trainer Hunter Oakes; Spring Blake was again claimed for that amount Saturday after having won $12,000 in two starts for his now-former connections.
In the other claiming cut, the Western Vintage gelding Elite Machine, after drawing the two worst posts at Pocono in his last two starts, started from the track’s leading post five and never looked back, recording a new mark of 1:51.4 for owner Todd Rosenberg. George Napolitano Jr., who was the only sulkysitting feature winner besides Buter, also was the only other driving doubler, both for Elite Machine’s trainer Bob Belcher.
In a $15,000 fast-class pace, the Captaintreacherous gelding Maxim Hanover was ready for a maximum effort in his second start after nearly three months away, grinding up uncovered after a fast pace and still being able to draw clear in 1:50.2, only a tick off his mark on the cool day. Buter had the drive for trainer Robert Cleary and Royal Wire Products Inc.
One characteristic of a smart trainer is that they use hot drivers, and all of Buter’s seven wins came from barns ranking in Pocono’s top seven: meet leader Ron Burke (three), Robert Cleary (two), and Dean Eckley and Hunter Oakes (one each). And sometimes top trainers and drivers return good prices: three of Buter’s septet were favorites, but the others paid $12.20, $13.40, $26.40, and $46.00.
And speaking of longshots: After four straight Pocono cards with $50+ winners, there was no “bomber” winning on this past Tuesday’s card, but the longshot brigade came back to life when Rose Run Astro went first-over against an odds-on pacesetter, put him away on the far turn, then held off Puzzling for driver Braxten Boyd at a $54.20 mutuel. “Astro” was the 50th winner paying $50 or more at Pocono in 2025, and Boyd’s seventh, trailing only Anthony Napolitano (ten).
There will be 1 p.m. racing at Pocono on Monday and Tuesday, and both cards will feature first round action in the new Winter Is Coming Series, a pop-up event which will go in two $12,500 divisions for pacers on Monday and three $12,500 cuts for trotters on Tuesday. There will also be a carryover into Monday’s fifth race Pick 5 Wager. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.
WILKES-BARRE PA – The leading driver at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, Tyler Buter, won half of Saturday’s fourteen races at the northeast Pennsylvania oval, including both features – one routinely (if a 12-1 win is ever routine) and the one after surviving an inquiry dealing with a late miscue. His seven-bagger matched one posted by Jason Bartlett as the most productive days at Pocono in 2025.
The feature races were a pair of $17,500 contests for horses on the improve, one each at their respective gaits. The Southwind Frank trotting gelding Credit To Frank won his race with a masterful drive by Buter, equaling his mark of 1:56. Kept off a flurry of early- to mid-race lead changes, Credit To Frank got in a good backstretch flow, swept to the lead into the stretch, and won over favored Kovu As, who had been first at the quarter – and last at the stretch call. Ron Burke conditions Credit To Frank for Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC.
In the pacing feature, Oakwood Heymiki IR ran his lifetime record to 19 for 40, but he had to survivie the blinking red neon before this 1:51.4 victory was official. Buter moved the heavy favorite to the lead early, strung out the field, and appeared to be on his way to an impressive but uneventful victory when he suddenly lost gait within 50 yards of the wire. The judges gave the video a hard look but deemed no rule violation, so Oakwood Heymiki IR (who did suffer “b.e.” in the incident) kept the victory for trainer Robert Cleary and the ownership of Royal Wire Products Inc. – who purchased the horse the day before the draw.
There was a pair of $16,000 claiming handicap paces for the local horses carrying in the highest tags. In one, Spring Blake won for the third time in his last five starts (he lost photos in the other two), sitting in the two-hole behind a contested pace, then pulling out on the far turn and racing away to a 1:51.2 triumph for Buter. The Courtly Choice ridgling had been claimed for $37,500 by Carmen Iannacone two starts ago and given over to trainer Hunter Oakes; Spring Blake was again claimed for that amount Saturday after having won $12,000 in two starts for his now-former connections.
In the other claiming cut, the Western Vintage gelding Elite Machine, after drawing the two worst posts at Pocono in his last two starts, started from the track’s leading post five and never looked back, recording a new mark of 1:51.4 for owner Todd Rosenberg. George Napolitano Jr., who was the only sulkysitting feature winner besides Buter, also was the only other driving doubler, both for Elite Machine’s trainer Bob Belcher.
In a $15,000 fast-class pace, the Captaintreacherous gelding Maxim Hanover was ready for a maximum effort in his second start after nearly three months away, grinding up uncovered after a fast pace and still being able to draw clear in 1:50.2, only a tick off his mark on the cool day. Buter had the drive for trainer Robert Cleary and Royal Wire Products Inc.
One characteristic of a smart trainer is that they use hot drivers, and all of Buter’s seven wins came from barns ranking in Pocono’s top seven: meet leader Ron Burke (three), Robert Cleary (two), and Dean Eckley and Hunter Oakes (one each). And sometimes top trainers and drivers return good prices: three of Buter’s septet were favorites, but the others paid $12.20, $13.40, $26.40, and $46.00.
And speaking of longshots: After four straight Pocono cards with $50+ winners, there was no “bomber” winning on this past Tuesday’s card, but the longshot brigade came back to life when Rose Run Astro went first-over against an odds-on pacesetter, put him away on the far turn, then held off Puzzling for driver Braxten Boyd at a $54.20 mutuel. “Astro” was the 50th winner paying $50 or more at Pocono in 2025, and Boyd’s seventh, trailing only Anthony Napolitano (ten).
There will be 1 p.m. racing at Pocono on Monday and Tuesday, and both cards will feature first round action in the new Winter Is Coming Series, a pop-up event which will go in two $12,500 divisions for pacers on Monday and three $12,500 cuts for trotters on Tuesday. There will also be a carryover into Monday’s fifth race Pick 5 Wager. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.
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