Chester, PA – The Huntsville mare Jensville A, perfectly driven by George Napolitano Jr., captured the $16,000 fast-class mares handicap pace Friday (Sept. 18) afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia in 1:47.4, knocking a tick off of the track record for older pacing mares, which was set by Shartin N in her Horse of the Year campaign in 2019.
Another Horse of the Year, Twin B Joe Fresh (2024), was the other main equine character in the record mile. Jensville A had post six and Twin B Joe Fresh the outside post seven; Napolitano got Jensville A away in sharp order to make the top near the eighth, then carried Twin B Joe Fresh well past a :25.4 opening quarter before yielding the lead. The triple millionaire pacesetter rolled right along with middle fractions of :53.2 and 1:20.3, with Jensville A the only horse within shouting distance.
As the top pair turned into the lane, Napolitano took Jensville A to the outside, and the help of sitting in the golden chair, plus the energy Twin B Joe Fresh had used already, brought about Jensville A going by for a three quarter length decision at the wire. The time was two fifths off the divisional world record, set by Sylvia Hanover at Plainridge in 2025.
Jensville A, who lowered her mark by 3 3/5 seconds, certainly knows the way to the winners circle, as this gives her eight successes in seventeen seasonal starts, and 20 wins in her 51 lifetime trips behind the gate. Chris Height conditions the new recordholder for owner Michael Casalino Jr.
The $13,500 co-feature for distaff pacers climbing the classladder saw the Always B Miki sophomore filly Always B Our Star set the early pace under pressure from a parked foe, then had to go on from midbackstretch contending with the looping Sweet Cindy Lou, but after a long tussle Always B Our Star prevailed over her tough raw foe by a nose in 1:53.3, with three other late chargers making the top five separated by only half a length. But Always B Our Star was the most photogenic for driver Shane Griffith, trainer Ronald Short, and CT Stables LLC.
Driver George Napolitano Jr. won three winners on Friday; doubling up were driver Jack Pelling and trainer Scott Di Domenico. Silenced on the program were $50+ winners (although two paid $40+) – there had been eight bombers in the five previous programs, dating back to September 6.
The Harrah’s racing week concludes on Sunday at 12:40, with the red-hot Harrington shipper Wehadababyetzaboy starting from the outside post eight in the $16,000 fast-class handicap pace. Philly will follow its usual Thursday/Friday at 12:25 and Sunday at 12:40 schedule the following week, then will be dark for live racing from October 1-4 for the track surface’s annual refurbishment. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.