The Six Pack filly Halfadozen had been the only three-year-old trotting miss to sweep her three Bobby Weiss Series preliminaries, but come the $69,444 Weiss championship on Monday, April 28 at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, the crowd still dismissed her at 12-1. The tote board did not dismay her at all, though, as she posted a lifetime mark of 1:55 in taking her Weiss crown and remaining undefeated in four seasonal starts.
Driver Dan Dube had Halfadozen out between horses early, cleared the innermost foe midway on the first turn, then saw the outermost opponent lose her gait nearing the :27 quarter. Dube immediately hit the brakes with Halfadozen as no contenders moved in front of the stands and the pair travelled the second panel in :30 during the :57 half. The attacks were soon coming fast and furious, and from the favourites – first from favoured Gilda Bi first-over, then from far turn sweeper Admiring, and finally from R Jezzy, who had to angle four-wide nearing mid-stretch and was moving quickest of all late. But Halfadozen had built enough of a margin to withstand the late charger by a neck for trainer Pierre Paradis. Dube co-owns the winner with Jean Claude Dessureault of Candiac, Que.
The Greenshoe filly Dearly Beloved was the only entrant in the $20,000 Weiss consolation to have won a prelim – she skipped the first leg, won the second, but then ruined her chances for the final with a break in the third. Dearly Beloved was on her best behaviour on Monday, setting all the pace and coming home in :56.3 to complete her mile in a lifetime best 1:53.4 for driver Matt Kakaley, trainer Jenny Melander and owner Donald Bartling of SJs Caviar fame.
Aside from the trotting fillies, the star of Monday’s Pocono show was driver Tyler Buter, Pocono’s leading driver, who perhaps appropriately given the winner of the feature, garnered half a dozen victories, two for each of three trainers – Hunter Oakes, John Butenschoen and Robert Cleary. Cleary trains perhaps the most impressive winner of the day, the Sweet Lou filly Tie The Knot, who in her second lifetime start took a mark of 1:50.4 for the ownership of Cleary, Let It Ride Stables Inc., and Jesmeral Stable.
The Game Of Claims Series come to an end on the Tuesday Pocono card with the $35,000 USD championship for trotters who started at a base price of $20,000 USD. There are more angles to handicapping and betting the horses in this final than there are at a championship billiards match; players will also having a double carryover awaiting them on the last race High 5 wager.
(With files from PHHA / Pocono Downs)