The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono on Saturday (Feb. 22) contested the third and final preliminary for the Game Of Claims Series for the highest two levels of pacing claimers.
The highest-level horses, going here for a base claiming tag of $30,000 in the weekly-progressive pricing rules of the series, raced two $25,000 preliminaries, with neither winner being claimed. Classy Hill, an Art Colony gelding, took his field coast-to-coast in 1:53 for driver George Napolitano Jr. (a five-time winner on the card) in his first start for trainer Dan Maier and owner Ameer Najor. The longest shot on the board Mister Indiana scored in the other division, with the Quality Western gelding scoring the decision over the second-longest shot, Half A Billion, in 1:52.3, for driver Matt Kakaley, trainer Michael Posner, and owner Austin Siegelman.
An unofficial totaling of the points for this group yields the following as the top nine, in points order and in position for next week’s $50,000 final: This Is My Song, Polak A, Trente Deo (a winner in the first two prelims who took this week off), Mister Indiana, Classy Hill, Whats Goin On, Beach Pro, Half A Billion, and Western Hill.
The three $15,000 divisions for horses base-valued at $20,000 Saturday saw a split yield the fastest mile of the year at Pocono (1:51.1). The Shadyshark Hanover gelding Horsing Around won his second straight when setting the season's speed standard for driver Simon Allard, trainer Rene Allard, and the partnership of Allard Racing Inc. and Neal Moase. Horsing Around will depart the Allard barn after being the only Game Of Claims winner on the night.
Driver Simon Allard and trainer-owner-brother Rene do get to keep the Royal Art B gelding Royal Heart, who won at first asking for his new connections in 1:54. The third winner in this price group produced the biggest mutuel shock of the night, as driver Matt Kakaley put the Jeremes Jet gelding J M Jet Set on the lead and withstood the late chargers in 1:54.3 for trainer Steven Brabrook and owners Rod Lorenzo and Brian Running while paying $53.80.
The listing of the unofficial top nine pointwinners heading into next Saturday’s $30,000 Championship needs though a clarification. Even with losing this week’s fastest winner, Team Allard still has three of the nine highest pointgetters, and series conditions allow for an owner or trainer to have only two entries in the final. So while this is the list of the top nine, one of the three asterisked competitors, all Allard horses, will if this list is verified not be going.
The current top nine in points goes as follows: Ancle and Horsing Around (tied), Royal Heart*, Cheyenne Reijane, Stirling Escort*, Machine Team, Concur, American Music, and Pops Romeo*. Thus the two tied for tenth now, Drunk On Your Love and Always A Diamond, will certainly have an interest in Monday’s draw for next Saturday’s card of two GOC Championships.
In anticipation of those Championships, nine horses were claimed Saturday for $210,000, bringing the totals for the five-card-long meet to 52 claims aggregating $1,022,800.
(PHHA/Pocono)