Cape Karuna ($8.60) returned to his winning ways Saturday at the Isle Pompano Park with a head triumph in the $16,000 Open Handicap Pace in 1:52.1
.
The third race feature saw race favourite Sugars Pride and driver Kevin Wallis shoot right to the lead from Post 6 and cut fractions of :26.4, :56.1 and 1:24.2 with No Wrong (Wally Hennessey) sitting right on their backs in second place, poised to strike at the top of the stretch.
But it was driver Bruce Ranger with Cape Karuna in third place along the rail that stole the show in the stretch. Pulling to the outside, Ranger was able to urge Cape Kruna on to collar Sugars Pride and beat him to the wire. No Wrong was third.
It was the fourth win in the past five starts for Cape Kruna. The six-year-old gelded son of Cape Crusader is trained by Peter Blood and co-owned by Rick Berks, Peter Blood and Roger Slobody.
Saturday’s Open Handicap Pace was named in memory of Joe Napolitano. It was four years ago to the day that Napolitano passed away. The former leading trainer at the Isle Pompano Park and forty-year veteran of the sport is survived by his father, George Napolitano, who trains at Pompano and two sons who are in the industry. They are Pompano’s leading driver this meet, Anthony Napolitano and former Pompano leading trainer and driver, George, Napolitano, Jr.
(Pompano Park)