The Game Of Claims Pacing Series, which will offer rich paydays to those who can claim the throne as best in the respective price divisions, continued on Sunday evening (Feb. 9) at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, with two sections each of first round preliminaries, offering $7,500 for $7,500 claimers and $10,000 for $10,000-tagged horses.

Remarkably, six of the 11 horses in the $10,000 action will be racing for new barns next week after being claimed, including divisional winner Charger Blue Chip, who won his debut as a 10-year-old in 1:58 over a tiring track rated 'good.' The Rocknroll Hanover gelding rallied from the pocket to overhaul pacesetting favourite Midnight Dylan N for driver Tom Jackson and owner-trainer Emily Bost.

No claim was entered on the Mach Three gelding Mr Carrotts despite his being the second choice, and trainer Dan Morrissey and owner Leona Morrissey got to “walk him home” after he one-geared up raw and held off Master The View in 1:57.4.

No one was haltered out of either division of the $7,500s first prelim–so the claiming count stopped at 24 horses changing hands for $410,000 during the opening weekend. Emerging first at this level were the Always A Virgin gelding Always B Magic, a pocket rocket in 1:56.3 for driver George Napolitano Jr., trainer Daniel Renaud and owner Alexa Renaud while emerging victorious for the first time in 613 days, and the Rambaran gelding Speedling, who was quarter-moved by driver Jim Morrill Jr. and held on in 1:58 for trainer Lou Pena and Lou Pena Racing Stables Inc.

The top purse events were a pair of $15,000 paces. The first, for females, went to perhaps the most impressive winner of the night, the Sweet Lou four-year-old mare Darn Tootn Hanover, who followed up on a 1:51.2 Meadowlands victory with a 1:54 victory here, coming her last quarter in :28.1 (on a night when only one other race beat :29.2 home) to be six-and-three-quarter lengths to the good for driver Tyler Buter, trainer Nik Drennan, and Yankeeland Partners LLP.

Darn Tootn Hanover paid $2.20 to win; in the male sector of this class, Ben Rockin, an altered son of A Rocknroll Dance, motored home from last to win in 1:55.4 for driver Eric Goodell and returned $171.40 to the scattered backers of the Robert John Becker-owned horse. The key to this one may have been the history of trainer Bill “Moon” Mullin–his Trixar paid $166.80, which stood as the 2019 local high payoff, in the second week of last year, and now Ben Rockin is another early-season toteboard demolisher for Mullin.

(PHHA/Pocono)