The Kadabra gelding Buzz blasted to the early lead around the steady mare Ladys Image, then maintained the advantage to the wire to win the $25,000 Game Of Claims Series Championship for $15,000 base-price trotters during the Sunday (April 3) card at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
Making his local debut for owner-trainer Stacy Currie, Buzz’s new proprietor chose driver Jim Pantaleano, who had driven the winner of $413,174 to a first and a second in two prelims – each for a different trainer. Both the trotter and the driver showed their consistency amidst changing circumstances – going to command before the quarter, and then resisting the late inside charge of Ladys Image by a half-length in 1:55.3 over a “sloppy” track with temperatures in the low 40s.
On the pacing side, the $17,000 distaff feature for class-climbers saw Tempura Hanover prove a classic “second start back” winner in 1:53.4. After closing from last at headstretch to be third in her seasonal bow last week, this time driver Mark MacDonald made two speed moves with the Captaintreacherous mare and stayed in control, with Alta Madeira N coming within a half-length at the finish behind the Gilbert Garcia-Herrera-owned and -trained mare.
Braxten Boyd, the 22-year-old in his first dedicated season at Pocono, brought home four winners Sunday and is now in sixth place in the drivers victory race. Five notches above him right now is Matt Kakaley, who brought his local win figure to 50 in the 16 cards of racing so far this year with three tallies on Sunday.
Bobby Weiss Series sophomore fillies will dominate the spotlight on the Monday 1:30 p.m. (EDT) card at Pocono, as $20,000 divisions of the first preliminary will find five fields of pacers and three groups of trotters looking to show improvement in their three-year-old seasons. Program pages are available on the PHHA website.
(PHHA / Pocono)