You Got It found “it” in the last quarter and closed well to take the $17,857 featured trot in 1:54.3 on Tuesday, March 11 at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania.
The even-money favourite and a son of Chapter Seven, You Got It, sat fourth as Kinnder Thinktwice took the lead away from Purple Lord going past the :27.1 opening station, then backed the half of to :57. Cassius Hanover launched a first-over bid from third to challenge the leader, and You Got It’s inability to stay with his cover from second-over was partially explained when the three-quarters was hit in 1:24.4 – a :27.4 third quarter split.
But the winner found strong strides on the far turn, was able to take over from Cassius Hanover in the stretch, then held off a late comeback bid between horses by Purple Lord to post a 1-3/4-length triumph for trainer Joe Pavia Jr. and the partnership of Vince Ferriero Jr., Jeffrey Hess and Pint Size Racing LLC.
You Got It (pictured above) was driven by George Napolitano Jr., who had his third five-bagger in the last four local cards, leading the drivers both on the day and for the meet.
There were also nine $12,857 divisions of the first preliminary of the Game Of Claims Pacing Series for horses base-tagged at $14,286. “George Nap” steered two of the winning horses, and the teaming of driver Braxten Boyd and trainer Maria Alvarez also visited the winner's circle twice.
Napolitano’s series winners were Mach Doro A, a Mach Three gelding who has taken four of his last six starts after a 1:55 victory for the meet’s leading conditioner, Peter Pellegrino, and owner Kathleen Napolitano, and the Trueland Hanover gelding Captain Terminator, who followed up a Meadowlands win with a 1:56.2 triumph here for trainer/owner Geovany Hernandez. The Captain was one of two Game Of Claims winners to be claimed; the other was the Foreclosure N gelding Oakwoodnitownit IR, who was home first in 1:54.3 for driver Tyler Buter and trainer/owner Adrian Wisher.
Succeeding for Team Boyd/Alvarez were the Art Major gelding Stick With Cramer, who took the first race of the day in 1:54.1 for owner Ronald Rettig-Zucchi, and Shrimp And Grits, an altered son of Shadow Play who recorded a 1:54.3 victory for Friendship Stables LLC.
The fastest series winner, by a full second, was the Huntsville gelding Human Cocktail, who laid off a hot pace then went to the fore to earn a new mark for 1:53.1 for driver Jim Marohn Jr., trainer Marc Mosher and owner Stephen Demeter.
The other three Game Of Claims winner all went in 1:54.3: Jonah (a gelding by A Rocknroll Dance, for driver Jim Pantaleano, trainer Bryson Dunning and owners Dante and Evgenlyna Scattolini); Pettipou (a Control The Moment gelding winning for driver Simon Allard and trainer/owner Mark Akins); and Gotafoolish Desire (a Mr Apples gelding who was handled by Ridge Warren for trainer Bruce Lauer and Bill Reepmeyer LLC).
Racing resumes at Pocono on Saturday, March 15 at 1 p.m. with a pair of marquee features: the $35,000 USD championship of the Game Of Claims Pacing Series for high-priced horses, with triple-prelim winner Lyons Surfing starting from the rail, and a $25,000 USD fast-class pace marking the return of Chase H Hanover, who last week paced the fastest mile of the young season at Pocono, in 1:49.4. There will also be a carryover into the last race High 5 – nobody solved the bet Monday, and Tuesday the race scratched down to a field of five, cancelling the wager for the day.
(With files from the PHHA/Pocono Downs)