Wilkes-Bare, PA — After having recorded just two victories over a period of 777 days, the Credit Winner gelding Quiksilvr Bluechip has now won two races in the last seven days after fashioning a career-best 1:53.1 score in Tuesday’s (May 27) $16,000 featured claiming handicap trot at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania.
The career winner of $516,789 stayed third-inside behind a fierce battle on the front through splits of :26.3, :55 and 1:23.3. Quiksilvr Blue Chip came off the rail on the far turn and chased down the pacesetting Wallet by 1-1/4 lengths for trainer Hunter Oakes and owner Carmen Iannacone.
Quiksilvr Blue Chip was driven by Tyler Buter, who in all won six times on the Tuesday card, including twice for both Oakes and local leading trainer Ron Burke. Buter, who already has a seasonal lead of some 30 wins and is threatening to break up the 15-year duopoly that George Napolitano Jr. and Matt Kakaley have held on the Pocono dash crown, has notched 50 Pocono victories in May – more than three a day on average.
Doing almost as well as Buter on the Tuesday program were trainers with their eyes on the claiming box. A total of five claiming races were programmed, and four of the five winners of those races, including Quiksilvr Blue Chip, will be changing barns for their next race. Ten horses were claimed for $172,500 on the card, running the seasonal figures to 232 claims resulting in $4,396,250 changing hands.
The next card at Pocono is scheduled for Saturday (May 31) at 1 p.m., which will feature races for developing horses of both gaits and a fast-class pace. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.