The five $7,500 divisions of the second preliminary round for Game Of Claims Pacing Series horses wearing a $9,000 basic tag this week was held on Monday at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania and had no repeat winners from the initial week of this series.
Broadway Bruiser and Credit Fraud both became two-time winners in the Game Of Claims Trotting Series for $15,000-level horses on a Monday afternoon at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, where the temperature cracked the freezing mark only near the end of the card.
Those two horses shared a couple of other traits, too: they were both driven to victory by a Napolitano, with each horse retaining the brother who won with them last week; they did this despite the fact that both were claimed out of their first prelim round; and both will again be moving to a new barn via claim after their triumphs in $15,000 divisions Monday.
The Bettors Delight gelding Love The Action, who sat out last week’s Game Of Claims Pacing Series final preliminary for $10,000-based pacers after posting a second and a first, got into the final as the last of nine qualifying horses one point ahead of the AE1 and then made the wait worthwhile by winning the $20,000 Series Championship in 1:53.4 on Sunday (March 7) at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
Claimed by trainer Gilbert Garcia-Herrera and owner Gilbert-Garcia Owen from his series win, Love The Action was sent the 6-5 favourite. Driver George Napolitano Jr. was very aggressive with him, hanging Bamski to a :26.4 opening number, then reclaiming command by the :55.4 half. Second-choice Sweet Talkin Satin, the only horse at any level of the series to win all three of his prelims, came the rough first-over trip to the 1:24.1 three-quarters and pressured the leader into the stretch.
Glengarry Knight N, a double winner in the preliminaries of the Game Of Claims Pacing Series for $25,000 base-claiming-price level, came off of cover and just caught American Rebel to take the richest purse of the year to date at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, $50,000, in winning his series Championship in 1:52.3.
A Real Miracle streaked to the early lead in the contest, rejecting the bid of favoured Melanies Tedy for the front spot and forcing that one to tuck in, then letting stablemate American Rebel go to the top past a :27.1 quarter. The last-named pacer hit the half in :56, with Melanies Tedy forced to accept first-over duties and Glengarry Knight N following his cover under the guidance of Anthony Napolitano.