Wilkes-Barre, PA – The Custard The Dragon gelding Rum N Raisins, a winner of two of his three Game Of Claims Pacing Series preliminaries and claimed out of all three, continued his winning ways Saturday (March 7) in the $35,000 GOC Series Championship, richest race of the young campaign at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, while posting a new lifetime mark of 1:51. Rum N Raisins also changed hands for the fourth straight time, as he was haltered for $30,000 out of the final, but owner Caldwell Mamia Racing LLC and trainer Cory Stratton will take Saturday’s $17,500 first money as “consolation” for losing the horse after one week.
Tyler Buter, Pocono’s winningest driver in 2025 and again atop the colony early in this meet, left alertly with “RNR” then yielded to Supplemental Fee after forcing that one to go to the quarter in :26.2. Rum N Raisins continued in the golden chair through mid-splits of :55.2 and 1:22.3 as no one mounted a threatening mid-race two-wide challenge, then was moved outside late on the far turn before the sweepers arrived on the scene, went right to the top, then held off the strongest of the late ralliers, Twigg’s Pub, by 1-1/2 lengths.
The Somebeachsomewhere gelding Sandbetweenmytoes, who paid $409.80 to win in his hard-charging Breeders Crown 3-year-old male pace, is six years further along now, but he still isn’t earning enough mutuel respect. In the $20,000 fast-class pace, the veteran was dismissed at 6-1 despite two straight wins, and he proceeded to add a third consecutive triumph, prevailing in 1:51.1 for driver Ridge Warren, trainer Dirk Simpson, and Greg Luther Racing LLC. In contrast to his Crowning achievement at Hoosier, Sandbetweenmytoes raced on the lead Saturday, then withstood the pesky raw challenger Leonidas A by a nose, with Chase H Hanover third; ironically, the place and show horses are millionaires, while the Crown champion has a lifetime bankroll of “only” $890,882.
Top trots on the card were a pair of $17,500 events for up-and-coming horses. The faster went to the Muscle Hill gelding Te Amo Lindy, who worked out a pocket trip for the third straight time, but this week improved his previous finishing positions by one in 1:55, defeating Scudo Hanover by a length. George Napolitano Jr. drove the winner for trainer-owner Jill Roland.
In the other feature trot, the Perfect Spirit gelding Zenmeister S was sent off at 1-10 after opening his Stateside career with three victories. Two breaks before the 1/8, along with a mile in which he never saw the pylons and was outside raw most of the way, gave his backers some tense moments, but Zenmeister S is now four-for-four in North America after overcoming his troubles by trotting home with identical :28.2 back quarters in a 1:55.3 victory, a neck ahead of Kovu As. Brett Beckwith had sulky duty for the meet’s leading trainer Per Eriksson and Order By Stable AB.
Matt Kakaley, top winning sulkysmith at Pocono in 2022, 2023, 2024, led all drivers with three winners Saturday, while three of Pocono’s “B-Boys” had doubles: Brett Beckwith, Braxten Boyd (the last two Rising Star Award winners) and Tyler Buter. Darren Taneyhill was the only trainer posting a two-bagger.
Filly and mare pacers will be spotlighted Monday (March 9) during a 1 p.m. card at Pocono, lining up for a $27,500 fast-class handicap pace; there will also be a carryover into Monday’s Pick 5 wager. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.