The front end was a good place to race on Saturday, March 15 at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania despite it being a cool and windy afternoon; that observation is perhaps best demonstrated by 11-1 shot Striking Impact, who won the $50,000 Championship of the Game Of Claims Pacing Series for horses starting out with a $35,714 tag.
Anthony Napolitano sent the Always B Miki gelding straight to engine command and yielded to no one in fractions of :27.3, :56.3 and 1:23.4 despite no fewer than four separate bids from horses challenging to claim the top spot in various points. Striking Impact had the lead turning for home, shook off first-over Real Surreal, then withstood a late charge from two-holer Belmont Major N, who came clear between horses, by a half-length. Favoured Lyons Surfing, winner in all three Game Of Claims prelims while beating :28 home each week, got a second-over trip but did not have as sharp a late kick this race, finishing another neck back in third.
Striking Impact was claimed in the middle prelim of the series by trainer Marta Piotrow and owner Debbie Avery. He won his final prelim, then held his form nicely to triumph in the championship. (And there is no claiming from the final, so Striking Impact will have the chance to add to the $37,000 he has already collected for his new connections.)
In the $35,714 fast-class pace, the Somebeachsomewhere gelding Spring Inhis Step A again got a pocket trip behind Chase H Hanover as he did last week, but this week 'Spring' had enough rally to catch the chalk by a nose in 1:49.3. Spring Inhis Step A used the rail to park Chase H Hanover past a :26.3 quarter, and the early effort 'Chase' had to make to clear to the top may just have made the difference in this matchup. The pocket-sitter sat behind mid-splits of :55.4 and 1:22.3, then moved out nearing headstretch and got the nod for driver Tyler Buter, trainer Jeff Cullipher and Pollack Racing.
Earlier, the $2.3 million winner Charlie May posted the fastest clocking of the young season at the mountain oval as he wired a field just below the top class in 1:49.1. Ron Cushing was in control through splits of :26.1, :55 and 1:22.3, sprinting home for trainer Heidi Cushing. The success was Charlie May’s 31st in his career, but the first in the home state of owner Don Tiger.
A race after Charlie May’s, Pocono also had its fastest trotting mile of 2025, courtesy of the Walner gelding Chef Rocco, who made the lead early then held off the late charge of favoured Green Pastures in 1:53.4. The Chef cooked up fractions of :27.2, :57.2 and 1:25.1, then held well to the wire to triumph for driver Simon Allard and trainer/owner Mark Akins.
Ron Burke, going for his fifth Pocono dash-winning trainer title in six years, sent out four winners on the Saturday card to vault to the lead in the 2025 standings. Two of them were driven by George Napolitano Jr., who was the day’s top driver to visit the winner's circle, going there three times.
The Game Of Claims Pacing Series will dominate the activity on Monday and Tuesday cards, both starting at 1 p.m. Five $12,000 USD divisions of the third and last prelim for horses with a base price of $20,000 USD on Monday will find 14 different horses who won once during the first two legs – but nobody in the series could win in both prelims, meaning the scramble for spots in March 24’s final should be fierce. Monday’s card will also have a carryover into the fifth race Pick 5 wager. On Tuesday, there will be no fewer than 11 $9,000 USD divisions of the second prelim of the Game Of Claims event for horses base-priced at $12,500 USD, with many of the horses who had been in Monday’s series dropping down in search of better racing fortune.
(PHHA / Pocono)