The weather was nothing short of fickle on Sunday afternoon at Harrah's Chester Racetrack, going from sunny and humid to a torrential downpour and back in the course of
45 minutes, but it didn't seem to affect George Napolitano, who tallied six wins on the fourteen-race card.
His most impressive triumph came in the $28,000 Four-Year-Old Open, in which he was partnered with the JL Benson Stables Inc and KDM Stables Corp's Keep It Real ($4.00). With Dial Or Nodial (Brian Sears) leaving best from mid-pack, Napolitano yielded to the pocket on the first turn before making his move, just past a :26.3 first quarter.
"I know (trainer) Lou (Peña) had high hopes for him, and he said he felt he was weak his last couple starts," said Napolitano. "He put him on Lasix, and he thought he'd be just vicious today."
Napolitano had the second quarter his own way with Keep It Real, catching a :27.4 break in the second quarter en route to a :54.3 half mile before Clear Vision (Andy McCarthy) came on the attack.
Napolitano continued, "I had so much horse up the backstretch it was just scary. I didn't know how good Clear Vision was; I knew he had been racing well, but I knew my horse felt very strong up the backstretch."
Although Clear Vision got to within a half-length of Keep It Real on the far turn, the four-year-old son of Real Artist had the upper hand in the stretch, pulling away to defeat the pocket-sitting Dial Or Nodial by three lengths in 1:49 - just one-fifth of a second shy of Vintage Master's 1:48.4 track record for four-year-old pacers taken the week prior. Arctic Warrior (Tim Tetrick) was a ground-saving third.
Napolitano concluded, "He was pacing as fast as a horse can pace on that track coming to the finish."
Napolitano and Peña also teamed up on Equinox Seelster and Camco Kyle, with Napolitano also driving Real One and Only, Charlie, and No Kisses Knowmore to victory.
In the $32,000 Open Pace, Western Shore ($15.20) showed late turn of foot to just beat 3-5 favourite Pilgrims Toner (Brian Sears) in 1:50. Daniel Dube guided the pacer to the minor upset. Real Celebration (Andy Miller) fanned three-wide on the far turn and was an out-kicked third.
Auckland Reactor N disappointed as the odds-on favourite in his third start on North American soil. The six-year-old son of Mach Three chopped out fractions of :26.3, :55.1 and 1:23 for driver Brian Sears in a $28,000 conditioned assignment before fading to finish seventh. Lindys Bandit won in 1:51.1, with Auckland Reactor N pacing his own mile in 1:52.
(Harrah's Chester Racetrack)