WILKES-BARRE PA – The second and final preliminary round of the Winter Is Coming Pacing Series was held Monday afternoon at Pocono Downs in Mohegan Pennsylvania, and the name of the series told the story of the weather: temperatures barely above freezing and a strong wind, mostly against backstretch movers.
With only two heats and no repeat winners, race director Rick Kane will carefully check the standings, based on finishes and starts, to see who wins next Monday’s $20,000 Winter Is Coming Pacing Championship.
BOSTON ROCKS REPEAT
Two starters in the first series secured the two fastest wins. The fastest of all was Monday Boston Red Rocks gelding Boston Rocks, a $618,644 career winner who extended to turn back Big Bang Bang’s late charge by a head in 1:52.2, with double panels of :27.4 coming home. Jim Pantaleano rode Boston Rocks to victory for trainer Mike Deters and the ownership of Rick Berks and Peter Blood.
Also new to the series, and a conclusion after the front part of the map had a large speed preference, was the Always B Miki gelding Building Boost, who rode home from sixth at three-quarters, accelerating Pompeo Hanover by 1¼ lengths in 1:53.1. Anthony Napolitano rode the 11-1 shot to victory for trainer Jake Guff and owners Rosie Huff and Beauty Bridle Racing Stable Inc.
No horse or trainer achieved a win in either week of the series’ preliminaries, with only George Napolitano Jr. of drivers paraded back to Victory Lane as winners both weeks. On Monday he did that with the Betting line gelding Boardwalk Bet, fourth, but beaten only half a length in the first round; here the horse moved into the lead at the half, withstood a major challenge from Petrol Queen and eventually won by two lengths from that rival in 1:54 for trainer Eddie Sager (the only doubling conditioner on the day) and owners Gary Weidelman and Howard Taylor.
The top cash of the day, $15,500, went to development trotting, a race held by the Walter second-year gelding Don’t Ask For More in 1:57.2 to make it three in a row. But Don’t Ask For More, co-owned by trainer-driver Åke Svanstedt as Åke Svanstedt Inc. in partnership with Nils Munkhaugen and Barry and Michael Carter, must have asked more of him as he set the pace as Global Twist came out of the pocket and won inch by inch in the track, but came up a nose shy.
The Napolitano Brothers, George Jr. and Anthony, second and third respectively in race wins, rode three winners; Doubling up in the sulky were meeting leader Tyler Buter and Braxten Boyd.
The Winter Is Coming Trotting Series will hold its second round on Tuesday’s card at 1 p.m. The $20,000 Winter Is Coming Series Championships for their respective corridors will be held Monday through Tuesday, September 17.e-18e on 1 p.m. programs; those championship tickets are bracketed by the 1:00 p.m. race on Saturday the 15the and the 22i.ethe latter the final card of the 2025 season at Pocono. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.pha.org.
For full race results, click here: American trotting results.
From the PHHA/Pocono Downs
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