High-priced claimers in spotlight at Pocono

WILKES-BARRE, PA – Three $16,500 events for high-priced claiming pacers topped a competitive harness racing card at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania on Sunday evening (June 9).

One of the races was new to the Pocono condition sheet – an event for four- and five-year-old pacers with a base ticket of $40,000. It was won by the favorite Topville Somrocket (Rockin Image), who was a pocket rocket for driver George Napolitano Jr. in catching pacesetter South Point in 1:51.2 by three quarters of a length. The result was the good news for trainer Jeff Cullipher, the meet leader, and owner Pollack Racing LLC; after the race they learned that the five-year-old was claimed for $40,000, which (in the absence of definitive records) may tie a Pocono record, at least for the base price of a claim.

TOPVILLE SOMROCKET REPLAY

The other two features offered older performers in $30,000-$40,000 claiming handicap events. Like Topville Somrocket, these two winners were public choices; unlike that one, both of the older winners returned back to the same stall they left.

The Shoobee’s Place gelding Shoobee Doo A overcame the outside post seven to author a 1:50.2 victory, his third consecutive success, in his section for driver Matt Kakaley and trainer/owner Besim Ozda, while A Fair Ol Dance N, an altered son of A Rocknroll Dance, took advantage of a two-hole trip in working his way to the win in 1:50.3 for driver Ridge Warren, trainer Ron Burke, and the ownership of Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC along with Kitefield Stable.

SHOOBEE DOO A REPLAY

The races were run off quickly starting towards midcard due to a lighting issue in the developing dusk, with the fifth race off at 7:24 and the twelfth and final race just 81 minutes later at 8:45! This meant that the claiming box was given a hard and even more compacted workout than it would have normally gotten, on a night when thirteen horses changed hands at a price of $267,500.

The track’s top two drivers, Matt Kakaley and George Napolitano Jr., each had three victories on the “abbreviated” card, which meant that Kakaley retains a four-win advantage atop the local sulkysitters standings.

Monday’s 1 p.m. card is headed by a pair of $15,000 trotting features; the racing week will then close Tuesday with another 1 p.m. start. Free Pocono programs are available at www.phha.org.

For complete race results, click here: US Trotting Results

From the PHHA / Pocono Downs