Three-year-old trotters took center stage on Monday, April 14 at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania in $27,778 preliminary divisions of the Bobby Weiss Series.

The colts and geldings contested their third and final preliminary before next Monday’s $50,000 USD championship, while the fillies battled in their second leg. Three divisions were held for each group.

Among the male ranks, Karinchak (pictured above) emerged as the only two-time winner of the series. The Chapter Seven-Sianna Hanover colt captured his division in a lifetime-best 1:55.1. Driver Matt Kakaley — who later left for Yonkers with 6,998 career wins — sent Karinchak to the front, rated the half and came home in :56.3 to score by three-quarters of a length over Te Quiero Lindy (Tyler Miller). The trotter is trained by Ray Schnittker and co-owned with Ted Gewertz, Arden Homestead Stable and Steven Arnold.

It appeared Bondsman (Tyler Buter) would join Karinchak as a repeat winner after he edged past Big Shot and driver Anthony Napolitano in the stretch to cross the line first in 1:56.2. However, Bondsman went offstride just past the wire and was placed second for a lapped-on break. That handed the win — and a new mark — to Big Shot, a Propulsion-A List Lindy gelding trained by Nicholas Devita for owners David Hamm and Glenn Phillips. The Pocono judges applied Pennsylvania rules and awarded the time to Big Shot, who had finished second in both previous starts.

The other division for colts went to Green Mel, a Greenshoe-Flyer Mel gelding who dropped his mark to 1:55.2. Following a third and a second in earlier prelims, Green Mel broke through for Team Orange Crush — driver Andy Miller and trainer/wife Julie. He is owned by Willow Oak Racing and Michael Anderson.

On the filly side, Halfadozen and Admiring both remained unbeaten in two series starts, each stopping the clock in 1:55.4 with similar front-end tactics — rate the half, then sprint home.

Halfadozen, a Six Pack-Tactical Caviar filly, took a new lifetime mark and held off Entertain Me (Jim Pantaleano) by a neck — the same margin as their first-leg encounter. Daniel Dube was in the bike for trainer Pierre Paradis; those two also co-own the filly with Jean Claude Dessureault.

The win by Admiring was a romp, as the Walner-Southern Senorita filly was 10 lengths ahead at the end of her mile. David Miller got the job done convincingly for trainer Nifty Norman and owners Tony Holmes and June Zent.

A sweep of the filly action by betting favourites came about when Dearly Beloved, who did not race in the first Weiss round, won by seven lengths while lowering her mark to 1:56.1. The Greenshoe-Broadway Chuckles filly used the same rate-then-go-on tactics as did her fellow first-place fillies for trainer Jenny Melander and owner Donald Bartling. 

Both the leading driver and trainer at the current Pocono meet extended their advantages on the day. Tyler Buter visited the winner’s circle four times, bookending the card with wins for trainer Ron Burke, who posted three victories overall.

Live harness racing continues Tuesday at 1 p.m., highlighted by eight $16,000 USD divisions of the second preliminary of the Game Of Claims Trotting Series for $25,000 USD base-tagged horses. Two first-round winners are set to square off in both races six and 10.

(With files from PHHA/Pocono)