The second preliminary rounds of the Game Of Claims Series continued on Sunday night (Feb. 16) at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono and horsemen looking for potential thronetakers in the Game Of Claims Championships two weeks hence claimed all three of the night’s series winners.
The Game Of Claims pacing horses, who went for a base price of $12,500, drew one division of 10 horses (scratched down to nine), making for a rare trailing starter at Pocono. At the wire, the field trailed the Rocknroll Hanover gelding Grandpa Don, who after being last at the half made a huge-looping move on the far turn and paced past everybody to win in 1:56.2 for driver Tyler Buter and trainer Susan Marshall, the latter of which co-owns with John Marshall. He was then claimed out of the race.
Both horses who won last week in the Game Of Claims group that started for a base price of $9,000 on Sunday were again victorious, but as opposed to last week both horses headed to new barns after Sunday’s successes.
First to Victory Lane was the Rambaran gelding Speedling, now two-for-two in 2020 after a 1:56 win for driver Jim Morrill Jr. and trainer Lou Pena and his Lou Pena Racing Stables Inc. Then the Always A Virgin gelding Always B Magic again parlayed a pocket journey into a victory, here in 1:55.1 for driver George Napolitano Jr., trainer Daniel Renaud, and owner Alexa Renaud.
With two claims from each of the $9,000 fields, four $12,500 purchases from that event, and three horses haltered out of a claiming handicap trot (perhaps looking towards the trotting Game Of Claims Series in March), 11 horses went through the box for a total of $124,125, running the totals over the four days of 2020 Pocono racing to 47 claims and $812,900 – keeping horsemen and handicappers on their toes to be in the right place at the right time.
One place you didn’t want to be at Pocono on Sunday was on the front end, as the speed held up only once in 13 races. The lone horse making every pole a winning one was the four-year-old Sweet Lou mare Darn Tootn Hanover, who was sent to the top in a $15,000 distaff pace by Tyler Buter in :27.3, got a rest to a :57.1 half, then motored home in :55.3/:27.2, needing all that speed to hold off the invading Tango Dancer N by a neck in 1:52.4. Darn Tootn Hanover entered the year with only one victory to show in 17 starts as a freshman and sophomore, but this year she’s turned things around and is now three-for-three for trainer Nik Drennan and Yankeeland Partners LLP.
(PHHA/Pocono)