Pocono: Passionate Promise beats the boys in Game Of Claims Trotting final

The only mare in the field, Passionate Promise, showed "the boys" how to get the job done when she won the $35,000 Game Of Claims Trotting Series Championship for $25,000 base-tag horses on Tuesday afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania.

Even-money favorite Fight Song, coming off a sweep of his GOC Trot three prelims (including handing Passionate Promise her only loss in the competition), took control early from post two, with Passionate Promise settling right in behind the chalk. She rode the two-hole in early splits of 27 2/5 and 57 3/5, and maintained pocket positioning as Kinnder Thinktwice, the other three-for-three Weiss prelim contestant, moved uncovered to give the leader hard pressure to a 1:25 three-quarters and beyond.

Around the final turn Fight Song, trying to produce more, made a break and went to the infield, allowing Kinnder Thinktwice to clear to the top and also giving Passionate Promise room. Matt Kakaley snapped the Creatine distaff to the outside, caught the new leader with relative ease, then held off Vegas Ticket, who had raced third-in most of the mile, and his late charge by 1 1/4 lengths in a lifetime-best 1:54 2/5, with Kinnder Thinktwice well ahead of the rest of the opposition in third.

Passionate Promise had won four straight races before the 4-year-old distaff was haltered for $39,875 two weeks ago, and she has already earned back $21,875 of that purchase price for Northfork Racing Stable and trainer Hunter Oakes.

Tuesday also saw four $20,000 divisions of the final preliminary of the Bobby Weiss Trotting Series for sophomore fillies, with horses looking to secure spots in the $50,000 Championship in seven days time.

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Three of the double winners in the first two prelims took this week off; the one who didn't, the Tactical Landing filly Tactical Lori, made a sweep of the Weiss legs by winning in 1:56 2/5 for driver David Miller, trainer Nifty Norman, and owners Melvin Hartman and Enzed Racing Stable Inc. Tactical Lori moved from midpack near the three-quarter pole and still won by 3 1/2 lengths.

The Father Patrick filly Happy Chopper won her second Weiss prelim with a 1:57 1/5 tally despite the outside post in her cut, succeeding for trainer Mark Harder, co-owner with Dean Lockhart and Deena Rachel Frost. The sulky success was one of five on the day for 24-year-old driver Braxten Boyd, who is now fourth in the local standings, and the quintet included a winner trained by each of three members of Team Wine (Jill, Brandy, and Tee).

The Six Pack filly Meetmeatthebar lowered her mark by 3 3/5 seconds when she won the quickest Weiss prelim in 1:55 4/5 for trainer Pierre Paradis and driver Daniel Dube, the latter co-owner with Jean Claude-Dessureault. And the Crazy Wow miss Communion Money took 2 4/5 seconds off her lifetime-best when she won in 1:57 4/5 for driver Scott Zeron, trainer Ashley Bako, and owners Jared Bako and Ann Yurenka.

This coming racing week at Pocono is Bobby Weiss Series Championship Week, with the four $50,000 finales for the best of each sophomore group on the line. Saturday's 1 p.m. card will have both events for pacers: no male won all three of his prelims, but the trio who won two of them have the inside posts in a competitive event, while Beautiful Roz, who did sweep in her filly prelims, figures the horse to beat despite post seven in her field of eight.

--press release (PHHA/Pocono)--