Anthony Napolitano had a dream night at the races Saturday at the Isle Pompano Park, winning five straight races including the feature pace
.
It all started in the third race $16,000 Stave Kamler Memorial Handicap Pace. Leaving from Post 7 with I Can Only Imagine ($4.40), Napolitano sent the seven-year-old stallion right to the lead and never looked back. They cut fractions of :27, :55.3 and 1:22.3, holding the field at bay and kicking in a :28 second final quarter mile to win by two open lengths in 1:50.3.
The pocket-sitting Sugars Pride (Joe Pavia, Jr.) was second with Armbro Dynamic (Wally Hennessey) third. Lincoln Parke (Denis St Pierre) tried a first-over move after the half mile but could not catch up to the race leader.
His time of 1:50.3 tied I Can Only Imagine with Gotta Go Moe (PPK 1-3-09) as the two fastest pacers on a five-eighths mile track in North America this year.
Owned by Michael Polansky of Loudonville, New York and trained by Tom Harmer, it was the second win in four starts this year for I Can Only Imagine.
The race was named after longtime patron Steve Kamler, who passed away last month.
But Napolitano did not stop with just the feature pace victory under his belt Saturday. He then won the fourth race pace with Sahara Hall ($3.80) in 1:51.3, then the fifth race trot with Express Messenger ($4.00) in 1:59, the sixth race pace with Somethingtobehold ($4.40) in 1:52.2 and then the seventh race pace with Eleven A M ($20.20) in 1:53.1. It was the first time in his career that Napolitano had ever won five consecutive races.
To view Saturday's results, click here.
(Pompano)