Wilkes-Barre, PA — Persistence paid off for owner Glasser Racing and trainer Mike Watson as Captain Terminator won a $17,500 Game Of Claims Pacing Series final on Tuesday (April 1) at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania.
Glasser Racing entrusted the Saskatchewan-bred son of Trueland Hanover to Watson after the veteran was claimed for $10,000 out of the series’ first preliminary round, in which he won. The base claiming price elevated for each prelim in the Game Of Claims, and $12,500 was paid for the sharp pacer as he also won round two. Glasser Racing had to come up with $15,000 going to the last preliminary if it wanted the horse back for a shot at the final, and it did.
In the Game Of Claims final, Captain Terminator was taken right to the top by driver Jim Marohn Jr., who had won with him in the middle leg. After a quarter in :27.4 and half of :56.4, the leader was presented with a stern challenge from brusher Petipou, who got a small lead but not the inside before the 1:24.3 three-quarters. Captain Terminator shook off that bid and continued on to win by 1-3/4 lengths over the late closing Stick With Cramer, the only other two-time series winner in the field.
The trotters have a Game Of Claims Series starting next Tuesday (April 8), and several prospects raced in the $15,000 claiming handicap co-feature. That event was won by the Andover Hall gelding Grapple Hanover, now a career winner of $347,810, who caught pacesetting Golden Compass in a 1:55.4 mile. Braxten Boyd drove the winner, rebounding from a break in his seasonal bow, for trainer Brandy Wine and owner Brett Boyd Racing Inc.
Tyler Buter and George Napolitano Jr. each had three driving wins on the day, and they are also tied for top honors for the meet with 47 wins each.
Racing at Pocono resumes on Saturday (April 5) with a 1 p.m. program, which will feature five $20,000 second-round divisions of the Bobby Weiss Series for sophomore pacing males. Two of the sections will match up two first-round winners: Captain Conan and Flight In Motion in race 13, World Of Wishes and Gold Glove Hanover a race later. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.