Wilkes-Barre, PA — Despite a surface rated “good” for much of the afternoon, fast times and inside-placed speed were the order of the Saturday (March 25) card at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania. Only one horse outside at the three-quarters won and only two were second, and Park Official certainly avoided those non-beneficial paths while fronting his $40,000 Game Of Claims Series final foes in 1:53.4 and completing a series sweep after winning all three of his preliminary legs.

Anthony Napolitano, top driver of the day at Pocono with four wins, pointed the Art Official gelding frontwards as the gate sprang, but they were looped by Play The Field, who left like a shot from the outside post eight and crossed over on Frontier Rollo early. Napolitano calmly got his pacer rolling and had the lead by the :27.3 first split, then got a big breather to the half in :57.2. Division Bell, the second choice off of two wins and a second-place finish in his prelims, made a grinding move up the backstretch to the 1:25.1 three-quarters and continued on the turn, but then he lost gait approaching the top of the stretch, and the road was clear for Park Official. Frontier Rollo made a strong inside rally, but came up a length shy.

Park Official completed a Game Of Claims sweep with a 1:53.4 win in his final on Saturday at Pocono Downs. Curtis Salonick photo.

Park Official, who pushed his career earnings to $218,881 with the victory, had lost 19 straight races before the Game Of Claims, but he broke his streak in the first round and was claimed by trainer Marta Piotrow and owner Debbie Avery. He won the second leg for them and was claimed again, then won the third leg and was reclaimed by Avery and Piotrow.

In the $25,000 fast-class pace, Sonny Weaver N followed the pattern of the day, made the lead before the quarter and controlled splits of :28, :56.4 and 1:24.1 before hitting the wire in 1:51.3. The Sunshine Beach gelding, driven by George Napolitano Jr., raised his lifetime bankroll to $344,270 for trainer Jeff Cullipher, who shares ownership with Pollock Racing LLC.

The fastest mile of the year at Pocono was turned in by the Always B Miki gelding Dontpassme Hanover, who stopped the timer in 1:50.4. Tyler Buter moved the winner of two straight races to the lead past a :27.2 opener, and the pair were in total control through middle splits of :55 and 1:23.1, crossing the wire with daylight behind for trainer Mark Harder, who shares ownership with Rick Phillips.

The trotters were not to be outdone, though, as the Walner gelding TNT Blue Chip also won his second consecutive start, this one in 1:54.1 for not only the Pocono seasonal record but a new lifetime mark. Anthony Napolitano used his sharp horse hard to make the lead past a :27.1 quarter, but TNT Blue Chip just kept on rolling, putting up splits of :55.4 and 1:24.4 with nobody getting close to him to the line for trainer Bruce Clarke, who owns the horse with Patricia Waldeck.

Sunday’s (March 26) card at Pocono will feature the $25,000 Game Of Claims Series final for the top point earners in the class that started for a basic tag of $15,000. No one swept the three prelims at this level, but both P L Leeroy and Mister Daytona N, who tied atop the standings with two wins and a second-place finish each, are among the eight sharp horses ready to show down Sunday. First post is 1 p.m.; program pages are available at the PHHA website.