Wilkes-Barre, PA — You Got It closed well to take the $12,500 featured trot on Tuesday (March 11) at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania in 1:54.3.
The even-money favorite and a son of Chapter Seven, You Got It sat fourth as Kinnder Thinktwice took the lead away from Purple Lord going past the :27.1 opening station, then backed the half off to :57. Cassius Hanover launched a first-over bid from third to challenge the leader, and You Got It initially gapped his cover from second-over as the temp quickened through a :27.4 third-quarter split.
But the winner found strong strides on the far turn, took over from Cassius Hanover in the stretch, then held off a late comeback bid between horses by Purple Lord to post a 1-3/4-length triumph for trainer Joe Pavia Jr. and the partnership of Vince Ferriero Jr., Jeffrey Hess and Pint Size Racing LLC.
You Got It was driven by George Napolitano Jr., who had his third five-bagger in the last four local cards, leading the drivers both on the day and for the meet.
There were also nine $9,000 divisions of the first preliminary of the Game Of Claims Pacing Series for $10,000 claimers. Napolitano steered two of the winning horses, and the teaming of driver Braxten Boyd and trainer Maria Alvarez also visited the winner’s circle twice.
Napolitano’s series winners were Mach Doro A, a Mach Three gelding who has taken four of his last six starts after a 1:55 victory for the meet’s leading conditioner, Peter Pellegrino, and owner Kathleen Napolitano; and the Trueland Hanover gelding Captain Terminator, who followed up a Meadowlands win with a 1:56.2 triumph for trainer-owner Geovany Hernandez. The Captain was one of two Game Of Claims winners to be claimed; the other was the Foreclosure N gelding Oakwoodnitownit IR, who won in 1:54.3 for driver Tyler Buter and trainer-owner Adrian Wisher.
Succeeding for Boyd and Alvarez were the Art Major gelding Stick With Cramer, who took the first race of the day in 1:54.1 for owner Ronald Rettig-Zucchi; and Shrimp And Grits, an altered son of Shadow Play who recorded a 1:54.3 victory for Friendship Stables LLC.
The fastest series winner was the Huntsville gelding Human Cocktail, who laid off a hot pace then went to the fore to earn a new mark for 1:53.1 for driver Jim Marohn Jr., trainer Marc Mosher, and owner Stephen Demeter.
The other three Game Of Claims winner all went in 1:54.3: Jonah (a gelding by A Rocknroll Dance, for driver Jim Pantaleano, trainer Bryson Dunning, and owners Dante and Evgeniya Scattolini); Pettipou (a Control The Moment gelding winning for driver Simon Allard and trainer-owner Mark Akins); and Gotafoolish Desire (a Mr Apples gelding who was handled by Ridge Warren for trainer Bruce Lauer and Bill Reepmeyer LLC).
Racing at Pocono resumes on Saturday (March 15) at 1 p.m. with a pair of marquee features: the $35,000 championship of the Game Of Claims Pacing Series for high-priced horses, with three-time preliminary winner Lyons Surfing starting from the rail, and a $25,000 fast-class pace marking the return of Chase H Hanover, who last week paced the fastest mile of the young season at Pocono, in 1:49.4. There will also be a carryover into the High-5 – nobody solved the bet Monday, and Tuesday the race scratched down to a field of five, canceling the wager for the day. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.