It was a sunny day on Saturday at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, with seasonably mild temperatures – so nice a day, in fact, that conventional handicapping form played hooky during the afternoon program, which featured five $23,649 divisions of the final preliminary in the Game Of Claims Series for horses carrying base tags of $40,540.
Consider:
- A horse going for his 11th straight victory didn’t even hit the board, while another double winner in the series to date also failed to deliver a third win. Conversely, two of the day’s Game Of Claims winners have virtually no chance to get into next Saturday’s $47,298, final;
- Only four favourites on the 14-race card ended their day with a visit to the winner's circle;
- The fastest mile of the year at Pocono, 1:51.1, was put up by Rockin On Venus. Fast clockings and nice weather usually augur a good day for front-stepping horses – yet no horse led at every call in any Pocono race. In fact, nine of the winners spent a good portion of their last laps uncovered, while the other five had cushy rail trips: four pockets and a third-in. Of eight horses who led at both the quarter and the half, seven of them were 4-1 or less, but none won.
Dontpokethedragon, who came in off 10 straight victories in a skein spanning two countries and two years, couldn’t overcome the outermost post and had to settle for fourth as Islandspecialmajor, a son of Art Major, came on the grind yet still won in 1:51.2 for Matt Kakaley. Dontpokethedragon was claimed yet again; Islandspecialmajor was not, but he is extremely unlikely to be in the rich championship because he skipped the first week and probably didn’t accumulate enough points – a horse needed three starts that included at least one win and one place finish to make the theoretical point cutoff.
The other winner in the first two series prelims, Flashy Dude (also changing barns), had to settle for second behind Peppermint Man (1:53.3) and driver George Napolitano Jr., who had three of his four Saturday victories in the Game Of Claims. Napolitano also drove the only Game Of Claims winner of the day to be claimed, Tam Major A, who rang up two wins and a second in his prelim action including a 1:52.3 tally here, and he also handled Epic Ace, successful in 1:52.2.
The other winner, Deal The Cards, equalled his mark of 1:52.4 in winning for the first time since Jan. 14 of last year (426 days ago), and was part of a collaborative triple between driver Jason Bartlett and trainer Per Engblom. Deal The Cards, however, also was absent for the first prelim and should not make the final.
At least the participants in claiming activity showed their top ability: all six horses taken during the card are among the eight highest prelim point winners.
Form players will be looking for a return to normalcy by Monday afternoon at Pocono, when a 1 p.m. card will be topped by a pair of six final-round prelims of the Game Of Claims, for horses carrying a tag of $27,027 ($13,514 purse) and $14,865 ($10,135 purse). Free Pocono programs are available on the PHHA website.
(With files from PHHA/Pocono Downs; Photo of Islandspecialmajor winning on March 16 at Pocono)