Wilkes-Barre, PA – In last week’s $27,500 fast-class handicap pace at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, Fifth And Five had to settle for second, a half-length behind world champion Ruthless Hanover. On Saturday (Oct. 31), with fortune smiling slightly more on his side, Fifth And Five had just enough to nose out “Ruthless” in a 1:49.1 mile.
This week Fifth And Five, a son of Bettor’s Delight driven by Johnathan Ahle for trainer Enrico Robinson and owner Pollack Racing LLC, was able to wind up in the pocket (instead of in the three-hole), quarter-moving past the :26.3 initial panel then yielding to “quarter-mover #2” Ruthless Hanover, who then had to go faster fractions (:54.2, 1:21.3) than seven days previously.
Fifth And Five took advantage of the more favorable circumstances, with Ruthless Hanover holding tenaciously to the line but eventually succumbing to the winner by the smallest possible margin. Fifth And Five, who equaled his lifetime mark, increased his career earnings to $459,340.
Though denied the win behind Ruthless Hanover in the headliner, George Napolitano Jr. did win the other two features of the day, including the $18,500 second-level fast-class pace with Stag Party. That 10-year-old son of Bettor’s Delight took a new mark of 1:49.1 despite the double digits in his age. Stag Party utilized the Pocono Pike in succeeding for trainer Dean Eckley and owner William Hartt, bringing his career bankroll to $1,149,565.
“George Nap” also captured the top trot of the day, worth $17,500, with One More Volo, a Bar Hopping gelding who defeated serial overachiever Jog On Col by a nose in 1:53.4. Ironically, the team behind One More Volo is the same one as the pairing whose Fifth And Five nosed out Ruthless Hanover in the feature – trainer Enrico Robinson and owner Pollack Racing LLC.
There were also four $9,000 divisions of the first preliminary in the Game Of Claims Pacing Series for horses base-tagged today at $10,000; that series will have a $17,500 final on Closing Day, Nov. 21. In the Game Of Claims, George’s brother Anthony was the dominant driving force, winning the quickest split with South Point in 1:51.4 with his own back fractions in :55.2 – :27.2.
“ANap” also took the second-quickest division with Jackie Moon, continuing sharp form with a 1:52.2 victory. The other GOCPS winners both went in 1:52.4, and both were taken by horses who dropped down in price to clean up here – Lou’s Sweetrevenge and Greater Than Aces, the latter the only winner among three horses claimed in the first round.
If you think you’ve seen a lot of the word “also” in the above paragraphs, you’d be right, as several horsemen had big days. George Napolitano Jr. reported home first four times, with two each from the barns of Dean Eckley and Enrico Robinson (Robinson added a third win with feature winner Fifth And Five). Anthony Napolitano and Braxten Boyd each had a pair of visits to Victory Lane.
After people set their clocks back an hour the day before, Pocono will be back in business on Monday (Nov. 2) at 1 p.m., with a $27,500 fast-class handicap for pacing females, and two $15,000 divisions of the first round of the series named the Winter Is Coming Trot, reminding us that Pocono only has nine more cards in its racing season. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha,org.