Wilkes-Barre, PA — Dontpokethedragon, who lost a ten-race win streak when he was third in the final preliminary of his Game Of Claims Series group last Saturday at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, rebounded in a big way seven days later, overcoming a rough journey to take the $35,000 Final of the Game of Claims event for $25,000 base-tag pacers in 1:54.1 under adverse conditions. In winning, Dontpokethedragon regained the North American lead for most victories in 2024 with nine success stories before the first quarter of the year has been passed.

Dontpokethedragon reclaimed the 2024 lead in North American victories with his ninth win of the year in the Game Of Claims Championship Saturday at Pocono. Curtis Salonick Photo.

Dontpokethdragon, a gelded son of Custard The Dragon driven by George Napolitano Jr., was in the middle of the expected early scramble, tucking in fourth well before a :27.1 opener over a sloppy track and amidst temperatures dropping throughout the card from the first post mercury reading of 39 degrees. Napolitano had the favorite out and rolling going into the second turn, before the :55.4 half.

The “Dragon” roared up uncovered to challenge pacesetter Will The Wizard A (Jason Bartlett), grabbing the lead near the 1:24.3 three-quarters. But a fresh challenger appeared in second-over Flashy Dude (Jim Pantaleano), and the race came down to these two, with Dontpokethedragon winning by a neck over that tough rival. Tam Major A (Braxten Boyd), bothered in traffic after being shuffled, came flying late to be third and complete a 1-2-3 finish by the only three in the field of eight who had posted two victories in their three preliminaries.

Dontpokethedragon had changed hands after each of his prelims, and the ownership who wound up winning this series’ game of musical claiming chairs was P T Stable, with Lou Pena picking up the training duties. The sidewheeler’s sponsorship already has back $17,500 of its $30,000 investment of the previous week, and Dontpokethedragon, “just a claimer,” was at press time the fourth-richest pacer of the year in the U.S. and Canada, with a seasonal bankroll of $81,200. (There is no claiming in the finales, so Dontpokethedragon will have the chance to recoup more of P T Stable’s investment in his next start.)

Marcus Miller won four of the first seven races on the card, enough of a fast start that he was leading driver of the day with this quartet of triumphs.

Monday’s 1 p.m. card at Pocono features two Finals, both paces, in the popular Game Of Claims sections: three-time prelim winners Nob Hill Flash and Ithaca Hanover are the top two choices in the $20,000 Championship for $15,000 base-tag horses, while Rock King Deo, the only triple winner in the prelims for $7500-priced horses, opens as the early chalk in his $15,000 Final. Free Pocono programs are available at www.phha.org.