Wilkes-Barre, PA — The Chapter Seven gelding Chapolier continues to be the winningest trotter in North America this year, posting his 10th consecutive win at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania by way of a lifetime-best 1:53.1 mile in Tuesday’s (May 13) $16,000 featured handicap trot.
Chapolier, entered for the top $30,000 price tag and thus getting the outside post eight, was in a familiar spot early: wide entering the first turn as many foes yet again tried to establish position with the advantage of an inner start on him. Chapolier fell behind cover for most of the first turn then went on uncovered past the :27.1 quarter to get to the top, which he achieved for driver George Napolitano Jr., paying the price of a :55.1 half.
The fractions continued faster than usual as Chapolier went to the three-quarters in 1:23.4, but when several well-placed opponents took their best shot in the lane, Chapolier was ready — if anything, he slightly widened his margin from mid-stretch on.
An earner of $78,000 in his 10 races at Pocono, Chapolier cannot be mentioned without telling of his record changing barns. This week, he was with trainer Brandon Presto and owner Rocco Stebbins for a second time, and again he had only a seven-day stay with that management, as he was taken for the $30,000 tag by P T Stable — the fourth time it has claimed the horse.
George Santayana is credited with saying “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it,” and there were amazing parallels between young trotter Ake Palema on Tuesday and Jamais Vu, who raced at Pocono two days previously. Both are Walner sophomore colts from the barn of Lucas Wallin who qualified evenly in their first lines of the year, then picked up three-time Pocono defending driving leader Matt Kakaley and entered maiden events for international ownership.
Jamais Vu won on Sunday in 1:53.4; on Tuesday, Ake Palema won in 1:53.4 for Wallin Racing Stable Inc., Harbor Racing Stable LLC, Karin Walter-Mommert and Glenn Holland.
The win with Ake Palema was one of three on the card for Kakaley, giving him top honors for the card.
The Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and Stallion Series make their 2025 debuts at Pocono on Saturday’s (May 17) 1 p.m. card, with over $260,000 to be contested. The highlight should be a Sire Stakes showdown between Louprint, the Dan Patch Award winner for this division last year, and Twisted Destiny, a winner of six straight and a faster winner in the first PASS prelim (1:49.1 vs. 1:49.3). Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.