The leading driver at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, Tyler Buter, won half of the 14 races on Saturday, Nov. 1 at the northeast Pennsylvania oval, including both features.
One feature win came routinely (if a 12-1 win is ever routine), and one after surviving an inquiry dealing with a late miscue. Buter's seven-bagger matched one posted by Jason Bartlett as the most prolific driving days at Pocono in 2025.
The feature races were a pair of $24,648 conditioned contests for horses on the improve, one for each gait. The Southwind Frank-Panamera sophomore trotting gelding Credit To Frank ($24.60) won his race with a masterful drive by Buter, equalling 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 by 1-3/4 lengths over favoured Kovu As (Anthony Napolitano), who had been first at the quarter – and last at the stretch call. Evolving (Braxten Boyd) was placed third. Ron Burke conditions Credit To Frank for Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC. The gelding is now five-for-29 lifetime.
In the pacing feature, Oakwood Heymiki Ir ($2.10) improved his lifetime record to 19 for 40, but he had to survive the blinking red neon "inquiry" sign before this 1:51.4 victory was official. Buter moved the heavy favourite to the lead early, and the gelding strung out the field and appeared to be on his way to an impressive but uneventful victory when he suddenly lost gait within 50 metres of the wire, coming home 1-3/4 lengths in front while off stride. The judges gave the video a hard look but deemed no rule violation, so Oakwood Heymiki Ir (who did suffer broken equipment in the incident) kept the victory for trainer Robert Cleary and the ownership of Royal Wire Products Inc. – who purchased the five-year-old son of Always B Miki-I Got Rhythm the day before the draw. Beach Bum Harley (George Napolitano Jr.) was second, followed by Captain Luffy (Matt Kakaley).
Buter's win with Credit To Frank was one of three for the Burke Brigade. The reinsman also scored with a closing Compensate Me ($13.40) in 1:52.3 for the same ownership as Credit To Frank, and Finite ($12.20) in 1:54.3, owned by that group along with Phil Collura. Burke leads the standings at Pocono, now with 108 victories, and is 47 clear of second-placed Hunter Oakes.
There was a pair of $22,535 claiming handicap paces for the local horses carrying in the highest tags. In one, Spring Blake ($3) 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-Spring Break four-year-old ridgling had been claimed for $52,817 by Carmen Iannacone two starts ago and given over to trainer Oakes. Spring Blake was again claimed for that amount Saturday after having won $16,902 in two starts for his now-former connections.
In the other $22,535 sub-featured claiming event, the Western Vintage-Iemma Machine Baby eight-year-old 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 driving doubler, both for Elite Machine’s trainer Bob Belcher.
In a $21,127 fast-class conditioned pace, the four-year-old Captaintreacherous-Mean Leen gelding Maxim Hanover ($5.20) 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 career mark on the cool day. Buter had the drive for trainer 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 Burke (three), Cleary (two), and Oakes and Dean Eckley (one each), with Heisman Player winning by a nose for the latter in 1:53.2. And sometimes top trainers and drivers return good prices: three of Buter’s septet were favourites, but the others paid $12.20, $13.40, $26.40, and $46.
After four straight Pocono cards with at least one $50+ winner, there was no “bomber” winning on this past Tuesday’s card, but the longshot brigade came back to life on Saturday. Rose Run Astro went first-over against an odds-on pacesetter, put him away on the far turn, then held off Puzzling (Anthony Napolitano) for driver Braxten Boyd at a $54.20 mutuel. Rose Run Astro was the 50th winner paying $50 or more at Pocono in 2025, and Boyd’s seventh. That reinsman trails only Anthony Napolitano, who has driven 10.
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 be contested in two $12,500 USD divisions for pacers on Monday and three $12,500 USD cuts for trotters on Tuesday. There will also be a carryover into Monday’s fifth-race Pick 5 Wager.
(PHHA/Pocono; picture of Credit To Frank winning on Nov. 1)