Napolitano Jr. Hot In Cold At Pocono

Published: October 22, 2018 12:18 am EDT

George Napolitano Jr., the all-time leading driver at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, won the $18,000 claiming pace feature on Sunday, Oct. 21 with Ideal Kiss in 1:52 the thermometer only a half-dozen digits above freezing.

Napolitano made a quarter move with the American Ideal gelding past a :26 quarter, then went on to post middle splits of :55 and 1:23 in route to a three-and-three-quarter length victory. Ideal Kiss, who is owned by Northfolk Racing Stable, now has earnings of $109,050 this year and $193,750 lifetime.

Napolitano is an equal-opportunity driver for the high-powered Team Oakes – he won here on Sunday with two horses that father Chris trains and two with pupils of son Hunter, including Ideal Kiss.

A pair of $17,500 conditioned events were co-featured on Sunday. In the trot, Two Am took his third victory in his last four trips to the gate. Driver Tyler Buter also used quarter-moving tactics in route to a length win in 1:54.1. Todd Buter trains the Muscle Massive gelding, the winner of his 2016 Pennsylvania Stallion Series division and $296,761 career, for Gene Oldford Farms LLC, Lynette Buter, and William and Carol Fuhs.

On the pace, it was George Napolitano Jr. again reporting back to victory lane. He piloted the rapidly-improving Somebeachsomewhere gelding Blayde Hanover to a 1:51 win with a wire-to-wire score. Leading splits of :27.2, :56.1 and 1:23.2, Blayde Hanover kicked to a two-and-three-quarter length score for trainer Brandon Todd and Belrose Standard LLC while boosting his bankroll to $159,151.

FINISHING LINES – The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono and the Pennsylvania Harness Horsemen’s Association congratulate Pocono regular Mike Simons on notching his 4,000th win career. The leading driver at Pocono in 2002, Simons, who splits his year between Pennsylvania and Pompano Park, won with his first pari-mutuel drive of the season in the Sunshine State with the Mickey McNichol-trained Blueberry Heaven.

With the Breeders Crown eliminations in the books and ten of the twelve Championships for this Saturday’s $6,000,000 Championship Night already drawn, the final two casts of characters – the Open horses of both gaits – will learn their post positional fates at a noontime press conference at The Downs on Tuesday, Oct. 23.

(With files from the PHHA)

Have something to say about this? Log in or create an account to post a comment.