by John Pawlak, the U.S. Trotting Association

Columbus, OH — Eugene Afentoulis’ Pacinello, who recently went “from Hollywood to Broadway” and won the $88,000 Exit 16W Series Final at Meadowlands Racetrack, has been named the U.S. Trotting Association’s Horse of the Month for February.

Lisa photo

Pacinello was a 1:50.2 winner in the Exit 16W final at Meadowlands Racetrack.

Owned and bred by Afentoulis’ D&E Racing Inc., Pacinello began his career in the Golden State of California, where he found success in sire stakes action, but a remark by his California driver and trainer, Rick Plano, about how good the colt actually was, prompted Afentoulis to send the son of Little Steven-Princess Kiara east, into the barn of trainer Jim Doherty.

“There was nothing (no competition) in California for him so we decided to take a chance on the East Coast,” Afentoulis recently told Harness Racing Communications’ Ken Weingartner. “Mr. Doherty’s been my friend a long time; we own horses together, breed horses together, race horses together.”

It has proved to be a beneficial friendship.

In five starts in Doherty’s barn, Pacinello has won three of five, including the aforementioned Exit 16W Series Final, after having won the $90,000 Complex Series Final in January, also at the Meadowlands.

“He’s a real nice horse,” Doherty told Weingartner. “He was real good here both starts (in the Complex Series). Things didn’t go his way in the final and he still won, so that shows he’s a good horse. His manners are good and he has a lot of ability.

“I’m lucky they sent him to me. His record speaks for itself,” Doherty added.

Now, add “Horse of the Month” in North America to that record.