A driving hat trick on the February 8 program at Pompano Park isn't likely to impress George Napolitano, Jr. very much, even though he's winning over 25% of his starts in the early weeks of 2010 in South Florida.
"I took close to a month and half off at the end of 2009 and I don't think it was quite enough of a break," Napolitano said in a live trackside TV pre-race interview before the Monday evening card. "It was a very draining thing to be on the go seven days a week like I was, for as long I was, last year. My family is my priority now and I think I have a better balance of the things in my life and I don't put much pressure on myself in the way I used to."
His comments come at an interesting time in his career when his productivity has never been higher. By the numbers, 2009 was the best year of his life in the bike with over $5 million in purse earnings -- and that's fully one-quarter of his $20 million lifetime total. Six weeks into 2010 he's among the top reinsman at the current meet in South Florida with a heady U.D.R. of .427.
"Up north in the summer months I was lucky to get a lot of work from top trainers such as Ken Rucker, Lou Pena, and Carmine Fusco," he explained. "There was that one spell at Chester when I won seven races on a program, then eight races a few days later, and then 10 races on a single program a few days after that. I was in a zone where I felt I could get every horse to go just right from all the right positions, but the tricky thing is that nobody knows exactly when the 'zone' feeling will come and when it will go."
The fact that he's driving at all, let alone at the top of his profession, is remarkable considering the comeback he made from devastating injuries just over five years ago. In December of 2004, he was involved in a racing accident at Pompano when a pile-up was unavoidable into a horse driven by his younger brother, Anthony.
"I actually landed on my head and I had three broken vertebrae in my spine," he recalled. "I was loaned a special light laser kit for back trouble by (fellow horseman) Tom Harmer and the doctors were amazed. At the time of the accident they told me l'd likely be out for at least four months. Less a month later, though, they told me I was healed and they called it a bit of a medical miracle."
Napolitano certainly wasted no time making the most of that turn good fortune as he quickly resumed driving duty to rein in 365 winners in 2005.
Within 15 minutes of giving of his time for the Monday evening trackside TV interview, Napolitano was right back in the winner's circle with trotter Persistent Spur after Race 1. He also reined in claiming pacer Ascot Cognac and claiming trotter Sturdy Falcon to victory on the February 8 card to complete the triple. He's posed for winner's photographs 23 times from 91 starters to date in 2010.
His departure from Florida for Pocono Downs and Chester will likely be well in advance of the current meet's conclusion on May 22, and by his own observation he'll be well prepared for the level of competition that awaits him seasonally up north.
"With Matt Kakaley (age 21) and my younger brother Anthony (28) you have talented young guys and an outstanding crew of veteran drivers here every night," he explained. "This current driving colony here is as tough and talented as can be found in any given year at Pocono, Chester, or almost anywhere."
Parade of Speed Marks
Half of the winners on the Monday, February 8 program at Pompano earned lifetime best speed marks.
One of the hottest horses on the grounds, Ornellaia Dream, continued her winning ways for owner-trainer Gaston Claude of Pompano Beach and driver Tom Sells. Though she was moved up in class to the $8,000-$9,000 handicap level, the five-year-old mare by Fortuna Winner--Ornellaia was an impressive hard-closing winner again in a life's mark clocking of 1:57.2. She's won half of her six starts to date in 2010 after trotting past Armbro Baroque (driven by Wally Hennessey) and Rosemarie (Mark O'Mara).
Other Monday evening winners taking lifetime speed marks were claiming trotter Persistent Spur (1:56.3), maiden pacing mare Pannsylvania Dutch (1:56.3), four-year-old claiming pace mare She Really Matters (1:56.3), and claiming trotter Sturdy Falcon (1:58.3).
Live racing at Pompano will resume on Wednesday, February 10 at 7:05 p.m.
(Pompano)