If you were a driver at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono on Saturday night and you didn’t have the last name of Napolitano, it was an uphill battle to say the least.
Brothers George Napolitano Jr. and Anthony Napolitano dominated the action to such an extent that it took until the 11th race of the night until another driver was able to pick up a win. Up to that point, the Naps had won five each.
Anthony won races one, three, five, six, and 10, while George took top honours in races two, four, seven, eight, and nine. Among Anthony’s highlight winners were Lean On You, who scored a condition pacing victory at 9-1 in the opening race in 1:51; Due West Hanover, who surprised a claiming handicap field at 33-1 with a flying late move in 1:53.4; and Cooperstown, who went gate-to-wire to win the featured $25,000 condition pace in 1:51.2.
Meanwhile, George’s winners included Oho Diamond, a mare who captured the night’s top trotting purse of $15,500 with a win in 1:53:1; Eighteen, who scored a condition victory in 1:51; and McCedes, the $1.2 million-earner who ripped off his second straight claiming win in 1:52.
Among trainers, Christie Collins hooked with A-Nap for two victories, while Daniel Renaud scored a win with each of the brothers.
The run finally ended in race 11, when Pocono’s longest-tenured regular driver, Mike Simons, guided Rock Absorber to a win in a $10,000 claimer in 1:52.4. The Napolitanos’ horses finished fourth and sixth in that race, so the streak ended quietly.
But George Nap went right back at it in race 12, winning aboard trotting mare My Love Bi, proving that you couldn’t keep the brothers down for long on this night. That marked trainer Gilbert Garcia-Herrera's second victory of the night.
Anthony then added a pair of victories, closing out the 14-race card with trainer Steve Salerno's second winner, A Real Miracle, in the night's fastest mile clocked in 1:50.3.
(With files from Pocono Downs)