A hundred wins in July apparently wasn't enough for George Napolitano Jr.
The runaway leading driver at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, pursuing an unprecedented ninth local sulky-sitting championship, started the new month of August just as he left the previous one, with six wins in the first 10 races at Pocono Saturday, including a sweep of the Pick 4 and five straight victories at deadline press time, including an impressive 1:50.1 triumph with Ideal Matters in the evening's $24,000 feature pace.
Napolitano left with the altered son of Western Ideal from post seven, but others to his left had the same line of thinking, and he tucked Ideal Matters fourth as Mustang Art used track geometry from the innermost starting spot and was in charge at the :26 quarter. "George Nap" had started to move his pacer out and up as Mustang Art got to the half in :54.2, and Ideal Matters went up raw to challenge the pacesetter to the 1:22.2 three-quarters and through the turn. The two battled on through the stretch, with the winner finally putting away the pacesetter past mid-stretch, then tenaciously withstanding Speed Again, who had enjoyed the second-over trip behind him, and his late rally by a neck, with Mustang Art just another half-length back in third.
Owner Gilbert Garcia-Herrera also trains the winner, who was his third of the night, all with George driving, including the final two of the Napolitano Pick 4 sweep in races seven through 10, which returned a generous $164.60 for combining three favourites with an $11.80 shot.
Fans looking forward to the $2 million+ Super Saturday Stakes card at Pocono in three weeks are closer to that excitement than they may know -- the big stakes night is a part of Pocono's 50th Anniversary Year of Racing, and the card that night will have a first post time of 5:30 p.m., with a fireworks show providing the pyrotechnics immediately after the card of superstars.
(With files from PHHA / Pocono)