from the PHHA/Pocono

Wilkes-Barre, PA — George Napolitano Jr., driving the favorites, went wire-to-wire in both $18,000 featured races Sunday night (Oct. 1) at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, in both cases holding off a late charge by a longshot driven by his brother Anthony in what would be an outstanding day for the Napolitano boys.

The Credit Winner trotting mare Earn Your Wings finally broke through with a victory after being a beaten favorite in her last three starts, going wire-to-wire in 1:55.1 for “George Nap.” The 36-1 proposition Ridgeway Springs and “Anthony Nap” used the rail well to get a pocket trip behind a chalk, but their late charge came up a length shy of Earn Your Wings, who has earnings of $295,580 for trainer Anette Lorentzon and the SRF Stable.

In the companion featured pace, the Somebeachsomewhere colt Photobombr Hanover followed up on a win in the Keystone Classic in his last start by making every pole a winning one against his Sunday opposition, triumphing in 1:51.4. Photobombr Hanover and “GNap” got a :56.3 stroll to the half, then tacked on successive :27.3 quarters for driver George Napolitano Jr. to defeat 20-1 Braley Hanover and “ANap” by 1-/4 lengths while running his earnings to $154,397 for trainer Tom Fanning and the ownership combine of Fanning Racing LLC, Howard Taylor, and Susan Kajfasz.

The two feature wins, added to another Pocono victory, blended nicely with the five wins George Napolitano Jr. had put up during the afternoon card at Harrah’s Philadelphia, and the former national dash champion is now just one win behind second-place Jason Bartlett, trailing the 1,000-win candidate Aaron Merriman. Despite coming up shy in these marquee events, Anthony Napolitano visited Pocono’s Victory Lane six times himself on Sunday (14 wins on the day for the brothers).