The driving brothers Anthony and George Napolitano Jr. held the hot hands during Wednesday morning’s qualifying session at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
Anthony guided four Jose Godinez trainees to victory, while George recorded four wins with Gilbert Garcia-Herrera pupils.
Two of the ‘A-Nap’-Godinez horses took the primary spotlight, as they defeated free-for-all horses Western Fame and Springsteen, both of whom are members of ‘Team Allard.’
Western Fame, the 2019 Levy victor and a winner in morning action at Pocono last week, had to settle for second, three and three-quarter lengths behind the ‘two-moving’ Havefaithinme N. Havefaithinme N tripped the timer in a solid 1:52 (with a back half in :55) for the ownership of Blindswitch Racing Stable, Gary Axelrod, Good Friends Racing Stable, and Santo Farina. If the name Havefaithinme N rings a bell, that’s because it should. The altered son of Bettors Delight is a career winner of $1.3 million, and in 2016 he paced what was at the time the fastest mile in Australasian harness history, 1:47 5/10, while winning the Miracle Mile over the seven-eighths-mile Menangle Park oval.
Springsteen, the winner of the 2018 Hempt Memorial, closed determinedly from far back in his qualifier, but finished a head shy of the American Ideal mare Sally Fletcher A. The lass, who had also made two moves, had controlled the tempo and went on to hit the wire first in 1:54.4. With the win, the Blindswitch Racing Stable doubled up in the Wednesday morning ‘features.’
The most impressive of the ‘G-Nap’–Garcia-Herrera horses was Lispatty, who came home with a solid back half to nail the wire in 1:53 for owner Gilbert Garcia-Owen.
(With files from PHHA / Pocono)