Napolitano has a commanding lead over Palone and Tetrick for most wins in 2010 - has simply dominated Chester and Pocono this year in PA. An incredible year so far.
Ponder, I completely agree with your assessment. What's puzzling is this: Despite his dominating performance at Pocono (last night he won his 300th of the season at Pocono), he did not drive at all in the Breeders Crown.
Makes no sense to me.
Do you know why he wasn't in the bike for any of the Breeders Crown races?
It is because all these horses had their regular drivers on them. Since many of them raced the Meadowlands, WEG circuit; that precluded George N as he didn't drive at those tracks. And with all due respect to George N, are you going to go with the drivers that got you to the dance or are you going to take a chance in a $300,000+ race with someone who has never (or it has been a long time) raced for purses like this?Originally Posted by niblick
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For the record, the Harness Tracks of America Driver of the Year award goes to the driver that has the highest ranking in three categories combined; wins; UDR; money earned. Where does George Nap rank in those categories?
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Clearly a reasonable and logical explanation; and that's what I would have assumed until I saw Jim Morrill in the bike for a bunch of the Breeder's Crown races. We heard in the week preceding the event stories of the local guy, Jim Morrill, driving.
With the one in the bike and not the other, I thought there might be something else in play.
Many of George Napolitano's winners consisted of Lou Pena's jet-propelled stock. Along the same lines, George Brennan won the driving title at the Meadowlands because he drove so many of Pena's horses. Both records are tainted.
You see Morrill handling a lot of top shelf colts and fillies in stakes races because he's so good at it. It's no accident that you see Morrill driving for highly regarded trainers on the Grand Circuit and in the NY and Jersey sires stakes while Napolitano stays home.
Isn't it odd that Pena, leading trainer at the Meadowlands, had no entries at the recently concluded Grand Circuit meet at The Red Mile, and only one--Valentino--on Breeders Crown day at Pocono. Why is it that owners are so reluctant to give him promising colts and fillies? Why don't they send him to the sales with a blank check? It's mind boggling. Why is it that nobody ever claims from Pena? He can dominate a claiming class and then drop the horse down and nobody will put a claim in on that horse. What are they afraid of? They say it takes a year to turn around a horse who's been getting extra help and suddenly has to do it on his own. I don't know, but it sure is strange.
Joe Fitz
I just was asking about Lou Pena on this forum under Industry Chat. I think that the Lou Pena thing has died a natural death and it looks like Harnesslink have given Andrew Cohen the sack for causing so much trouble. Thats a shame because he really got everyone in harness racing fired up. There is no doubt that Lou Pena is doing something but they powrs to be have got no answers yet. The powers to be have lost interest also I think.
Thomas,
Things sure seem to have quieted down but I think the jury is still out on Lou Pena. FWIW A couple of the pacers that I watched pretty much dominate during the summer (Jessalilmixup and Dance in the Wind) w/Lou Pena now look to be completely different runners under different trainers.
I agree with you though, he is doing something that noone has any answers to yet.
Fortunately, Pena just got suspended for 60 days in New York for administering Lasix too late and causing a horse to be scratched. He's a repeat offender. I believe he's also had other lasix violations, like administering too much. He'll be off from Nov 22 until Jan 20.
Last edited by Joe Fitz; 11-20-2010 at 12:37 AM.
Wow!
This is truly a head scratcher; he has been around enough to be aware of who/what/when/where, etc. re: administering lasix. And, if this is happening in NY, what about PA and NJ?
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