None of the winners in the four $12,500 divisions of the second preliminary of the Game Of Claims Trotting Series became repeat winners during Sunday (March 20) action at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono – as none of them raced in the first leg.
The fastest clocking was the 1:55.4 mile turned in by Voss Volo, making his second start for trainer Bill (Moon) Mullin, hustling away for the pocket for driver Jim Morrill Jr. and then catching the front-stepping Buzz for a 2-1/2-length victory.
Voss Volo gets to stay with Mullin and owner Robert Becker, but two other winners changed hands via the claiming box. R Herbie Blue Chip avoided trouble on the far turn in notching a tally in 1:56.2 for driver Matt Kakaley, while Willie B Worthy performed in a 1:56.4 tally while guided by Tyler Buter; these two were among the eight participants who were claimed Sunday, for a total of $140,000.
The other division winner was the longest-priced of the quartet at 18-1, and he has the biggest career bankroll, as B Yoyo raised his earnings to $761,131 with a 1:56.4 victory, training success #999 in the career of Clay Faurot Jr. Matt Kakaley drove B Yoyo.
Speed did not hold well during Saturday’s racing, with the average temperature near 70. Sunday's mercury rose only to a spot some 25 degrees below the day before, and pacesetters won both $17,000 trots for class-climbing types. The faster of the two winners was the Muscle Mass gelding Stonebridge Armour, coming over from The Meadows and taking a new mark of 1:55 for driver Jim Pantaleano, trainer J.L. Adams, and owner Martin Valentic.
In the other division, the Explosive Matter gelding Bang Bang Boinga was the innermost of the strong starters, put the opposition in behind, then held his advantage to the wire while equalling his mark of 1:56. Matt Kakaley had the sulky seat for trainer Joe Poliseno and owner Ellie Sarama.
Matt Kakaley followed up with his seven-bagger of Saturday with four more victories on Sunday’s twilight card, giving him 37 visits to Victory Lane in the first 10 days of racing at Pocono this year.
Monday’s 1:30 p.m. (EDT) card will feature the final preliminary round of the Game Of Claims Pacing Series for horses base-valued at both $10,000 and $7,500, with one eye looking at who will qualify for the Championships a week from Monday and one eye on the claiming box to see who will own them then. Program pages are available on the PHHA website.
(PHHA / Pocono)