Rum N Raisins, a winner of two of his three Game Of Claims Pacing Series (GOC) preliminaries and claimed out of all three, continued his winning ways in the $47,945 GOC Championship, the richest race of the young campaign at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, on Saturday, March 7.

Tyler Buter, Pocono’s winningest driver in 2025 and again atop the colony early in this meet, left alertly with Rum N Raisins then yielded to Supplemental Fee (Colin Kelly) after forcing that one to produce :26.2 speed to the quarter. Rum N Raisins continued in the golden chair through middle splits of :55.2 and 1:22.3 as no one mounted a threatening mid-race two-wide challenge. He was moved outside late on the far turn before the sweepers arrived on the scene, went right to the top, then held off the strongest of the late ralliers, Twiggs Pub (Anthony Napolitano), by 1-1/2 lengths for a career-best 1:51 victory. Dontlikeitleave (Ridge Warren) was third.

Rum N Raisins changed hands for the fourth straight start as he was haltered for $41,096 out of the final. Owned by Caldwell Mamie Racing LLC and trained by Cory Stratton in the win, the six-year-old Custard The Dragon-Fie Foe Fire gelding is now 21-for-105 lifetime with $225,081 in earnings. He paid $5.80 to win.

The nine-year-old Somebeachsomewhere-Galleria gelding Sandbetweenmytoes, who paid $408.80 to win in his hard-charging Breeders Crown three-year-old male pace victory in 2020, is six years further along now, but he is still defying pari-mutuel expectations. In the $27,397 conditioned pace, the veteran was sent away at 6-1 despite two straight wins, and he proceeded to add a third consecutive triumph, prevailing in 1:51.1 for driver Ridge Warren, trainer Dirk Simpson, and Greg Luther Racing LLC. In contrast to his Crowning achievement at Hoosier, Sandbetweenmytoes raced on the lead Saturday, then withstood the pesky challenger Leonidas A (Buter) by a nose, with Chase H Hanover (Anthony Napolitano) third. The win price was $14.

The top trots on the card were a pair of $23,973 events for up-and-coming horses. The faster went to the six-year-old Muscle Hill-Lovely Lindy gelding Te Amo Lindy ($5.20), who worked out a pocket trip for the third straight outing, but this week improved on his prior place efforts with a 1:55 victory, defeating Scudo Hanover (Braxten Boyd) by a length with Clear For Landing (Brett Beckwith) third. George Napolitano Jr. drove the winner for trainer-owner Jill Roland.

In the other feature trot, Zenmeister S, a son of 2017 Hambletonian winner Perfect Spirit and out of Zsa Zsa Kronos, was sent off at 1-9 after opening his Stateside career with three victories. Two breaks before the eighth pole, along with a mile in which he never saw the pylons and was outside uncovered most of the way, gave his backers some tense moments, but Zenmeister S is now four-for-four in North America after overcoming his troubles by trotting home with identical :28.2 back quarters in a 1:55.3 victory. He was a neck ahead of Kovu As (Anthony Napolitano), followed by Tequila Talking As (Matt Kakaley). Brett Beckwith had sulky duty for the meet’s leading trainer, Per Engblom, and owner Order By Stable AB. The winner returned $2.20.

Matt Kakaley, the top winning sulkysmith at Pocono from 2022 to 2024, led all drivers with three winners on the 12-race Saturday card. Two of Pocono’s “B-Boys” had doubles: Brett Beckwith and Braxten Boyd, the last two Rising Star Award winners. Darren Taneyhill was the only trainer posting a two-bagger.

Filly-and-mare pacers will be spotlighted Monday during a 1 p.m. card at Pocono, lining up for a $27,500 USD Winners Over Handicap Pace. There will also be a carryover into Monday’s Pick 5 wager.

(With files from PHHA/Pocono)