Wilkes-Barre, PA — The second of two preliminary rounds of the Game Of Claims Series took place on Sunday night (Feb. 16) at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, and sharp horsemen looking to take down the thrown in the Game Of Claims Championships two weeks hence claimed all three of the night’s series winners.

Grandpa Don made a big sweeping move to win his division of the Game Of Claims series at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono. Curtis Salonick Photo.

The Game Of Claims pacing horses who went for a basic price of $12,500 drew one division of ten horses (scratched down to nine), making for a rare trailing starter at Pocono. At the wire, the field was trailing the Rocknroll Hanover gelding Grandpa Don (Tyler Buter), who after being last at the half made a huge looping move on the far turn and paced past everybody in 1:56.2 for trainer Susan Marshall, the latter co-owner with John Marshall – and was then claimed out of the race.

Both horses who won last week in the Game Of Claims group that started for a basic price of $9,000 on Sunday were again victorious, but as opposed to last week both horses headed to new barns after Sunday’s successes. First to the winners circle was the Rambaran gelding Speedling (Jim Morrill Jr.), now 2-for-2 in 2020 after a 1:56 win for trainer Lou Pena and his Lou Pena Racing Stables Inc. Then it was the Always A Virgin gelding Always B Magic (George Napolitano Jr.) who was again to parlay a pocket journey into a victory, here in 1:55.1 for trainer Daniel Renaud and owner Alexa Renaud.

With two claims from each of the $9,000 fields, four $12,500 purchases from that event, and three horses haltered out of a claiming handicap trot (perhaps looking towards the trotting Game Of Claims Series in March), 11 horses went through the box for a total of $124,125, running the totals over the four days of 2020 Pocono racing to 47 claims and $812,900 – keeping horsemen and handicappers on their toes to be in the right place at the right time.

One place you didn’t want to be at Pocono on Sunday was on the front end, as the speed held up only once in thirteen races. The lone horse making every pole a winning one was the very impressive four-year-old Sweet Lou mare Darn Tootn Hanover, who was sent to the top in a $15,000 distaff pace by Tyler Buter in :27.3, got a rest to a :57.1 half, then motored home in :55.3-:27.2, needing all that speed to hold off the invading Tango Dancer N by a neck in 1:52.4. Darn Tootn Hanover entered the year with only one victory to show in 17 starts as a freshman and sophomore, but this year she’s turned things around and is now 3-for-3 for trainer Nik Drennan and Yankeeland Partners LLP.