At Pocono Downs in Mohegan, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday afternoon, the $27,397 second preliminary round of the Bobby Weiss Trotting Series for sophomore fillies included five winners, four of whom were last week's winners.
Driver Simon Allard and trainer Mark Akins combined for three winners in five $23,973 third and final prelim cuts of the Game Of Claims Trotting Series for $41,096 base-tagged horses, including two prelim sweepers. However, only one of those horses will return for them in the series championship on Tuesday.
Two of the misses winning in the Weiss were sent out by Team Orange Crush, which consists of driver Andy Miller and trainer Julie, husband and wife. Among them was the Walner filly Tove Palema, who set a new best of 1:54.3 for Andy Miller Stable Inc., Patrick Hoopes, and Mortgage Boys Stable and tied for the fastest Weiss cut of the day. Together, they also set a new best of 1:55.1 for Frederick Hertrich III on the one non-repeater, the Muscle Hill filly Bikini Model, who broke in the first leg but behaved flawlessly this time.
U.S. Hall of Famer David Miller, an Ohioan rather than an Illinoisan, mentored two additional Weiss double winners. Trainer Annie Stoebe, co-owner with R. Lynn and Philomena Curry, tied the fastest Weiss time for the International Moni distaff Elista Hanover, who ran a lifetime best of 1:54.3 miles. The Tactical Landing filly Tactical Lori, who is currently three for three in 2024 for trainer Nifty Norman and is owned by Melvin Hartman and Enzed Racing Stable Inc., was just a hair tardy in obtaining a new speed tag.
Kinesiology, who handed sire Walner a second credit when she won in 1:54.4 for driver Todd McCarthy, trainer Ron Burke and Burke Racing Stable LLC, Beasty LLC, Lawrence Karr, and J&T Silva-Purnel & Libby, is also flawless after three seasons starts and two Weiss races.
Kinnder Thinktwice, an easy third-time winner in 1:54.1, was the only horse for Allard and Akins to advance in the Game of Claims. Tuesday's winner, Fight Song, who was claimed out of a divisional speed record of 1:53.1 last week, was the only horse claimed out of the day's Game Of Claims events. As he looks to win a fourth straight time, he will switch barns for the final. Additionally, Chief Rocco, who won the Game of Claims on Tuesday in the fastest time of 1:53.2, did not participate in the first leg of the competition. According to the regulations, a finalist is required to start each of the three legs.
Two other claiming trotters emerged victorious in the series for the first time: Keystone Apache (1:56.1), whose driving triumph enabled David Miller to share the day's sulky title with Allard, and Jula Magician (1:55.2), a horse driven by Ridge Warren that was not present in the first leg and therefore not a finalist.
On Saturday, April 21 at 1 p.m., racing returns to The Downs. The last Weiss Series action will feature sophomore pacers competing for $20,000 USD for each classification, with their finals taking place seven days later. Three sections of women and four sections of men will bid to secure a berth in their lucrative championship payout.