Wilkes-Barre, PA — Chapolier, a trotting gelding by Chapter Seven, won his 11th race in a row — tops among all North American trotters — by taking Tuesday’s (May 20) $16,000 claiming handicap trot feature at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania in 1:53.3.
Chapolier has had an outer draw in most of his wins, now being entered for the track’s highest claiming price for trotters of $30,000, and he has devised several trips from which he could retain his streak. Tyler Buter took him through one of the harder ones – tuck early then go first-over — but Chapolier went frontward after early numbers of :27.1 and :56, reached the leader by the 1:24.3 three-quarters, then drew away easily to win by 4-3/4 lengths, the biggest margin in his streak.
Chapolier was claimed again; he has gone to a new home nine times during this streak, with $258,000 changing hands via the claiming box. Trainer Hunter Oakes and owner P T Stable thus have an empty stall after one of the few players in the high-price claiming wars at Pocono not previously associated with Chapolier, Todd’s Auto, claimed the horse, who has made $86,000 during this string.
In the $15,000 claiming handicap trotting class, just below the top one, the Explosive Matter mare Beach Dreamzzz won a three-way photo in 1:55.2. Beach Dreamzzz tucked in the pocket down the backstretch, came out in the stretch, then held off Lucky Sevens, who tailed her all the way, by a nose, with pacesetting Shinkansen just a head away from taking it all. Braxten Boyd drove the winner for trainer Tee Wine and Wine Stable.
Tyler Buter continued in his own raging form on Tuesday with five wins: three for Hunter Oakes and two for Travis Alexander. Well ahead in the local standings, Buter has posted 41 victories in the 12 days of May racing at Pocono thus far.
Pocono is currently racing on Saturday, Monday and Tuesday afternons at 1 p.m. and Sunday evenings at 6 p.m. The highlight of the coming week’s racing is Monday’s Pennsylvania All-Stars event for 3-year-old trotting fillies. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.