by Frank Salive, publicity director, Isle Pompano Park

Pompano Beach, FL — Anthony Napolitano has simply been a one man wrecking crew in the training and driving colony at The Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park in the first ten days of 2011.

The Monday evening (Jan. 10) program reinforced the trend that began on New Year’s Day. The 29-year-old horseman, a seasonal resident of Coconut Creek, Fla., has embarked on a year that could be the best of his career.

“Nobody knows better than me it’s more and more rare for drivers to also train a stable,” Napolitano said in a live post-race TV interview after capturing the first race with claiming pacer Grinning Breed. “Actually, until things turned around in recent weeks, it was getting really frustrating to be putting in the split shifts and all the hours with not enough to show for it. With the way 2011 has started though I’m pretty glad I haven’t given up on training a stable just yet.”

With three winners from his own barn on both the Jan. 8 and Jan. 10 programs, Napolitano has won an astonishing 10 of 16 training starts thus far in 2011. That easily puts him on pace to surpass his top career stat of 2009 when he conditioned 50 winners for over $477,000. In addition to driving those from his own barn, Anthony is also a popular catch-driver at Pompano with 15 winners from 53 starts thus far in the new year. That early trend also puts him on pace to surpass his best career year to date in the bike from 2009 when he reined in 295 winners.

“My numbers dipped last year compared to 2009 because I didn’t do as well as I had hoped to at Pocono Downs,” he explains. “There are a lot of variables out there, too. For example, tonight I lost Grinning Breed in a claim right after I got him past some soundness issues. The things I do control, like my interest and energy levels, those are really good right now and I have to keep them going strong before I can begin to think about having a career best year. Now that you mention it though, it sounds like a good goal, anyway.”

In addition to the torrid pace he’s setting with his own barn, Napolitano has also driven recent arrival Delivered From Zin to consecutive wins in 1:50.3 and 1:50.2 in the Saturday night top class. Those are the two fastest miles of the meet which began on October 16.

“Last Saturday he really impressed me for a reason that most people couldn’t see,” Anthony told the Pompano trackside crowd and TV audience on Monday evening.

“Early in the race Delivered From Zin had a flat tire. It was incredible that he still won handily in 1:50.2. I’ve never driven one with a flat tire that won like that. People are speculating about whether he’ll challenge the track record (1:49.3 held by Load The Dice) but a decision on whether to pursue that would have to made by his owner (Joel Benson of Ft. Lauderdale). Getting that mount has been a real highlight of the great start to 2011. Times like this don’t last forever but I hope this great roll I’m on keeps going quite a while yet.”