from the PHHA /Harrah’s Philadelphia

Chester, PA — Driver George Napolitano Jr. and trainer Gilbert Garcia-Herrera, who led their categories in wins during the 2017 meet at Harrah’s Philadelphia and are again doing well this season, combined to get the Dali mare Dali Delight to victory lane in the $17,000 featured mares pace on Wednesday (April 25) at the southeast Pennsylvania oval.

Last week at Pocono, Dali Delight posted splits of :27.2, :56, 1:24.4 and 1:52.4 in taking non-winners of six company on the engine. Wednesday, stepping up to non-winners of eight, the mare and Napolitano put up remarkably similar numbers of :27.1, :56.3, and 1:24.3 on the front as Dali Delight equaled her newly-minted lifetime best. The breather in quarter two probably helped her as she was able to withstand the strong charge from the pocket by Lifetime Trust by a neck. Garcia-Herrera also owns the streaking mare.

In $16,000 co-features for the non-winners of five set, pacer Wes Delight and trotter Vatanna both posted lifetime marks. The Bettor’s Delight colt Wes Delight, in his 2018 bow, came home in :27 to take a 1:51.3 victory for driver Corey Callahan and trainer Mark Harder, the latter co-owner with Rick Phillips and Deena Rachel Frost. Vatanna, a Dejarmbro mare, made every pole a winning one in 1:55.2 for driver Tim Tetrick, trainer Anette Lorentzon, and owner Anna Kristina Lorentzon.