Pavia ties record with dead heat win finishes
February 11, 2009,by Steve Wolf, senior director of racing operations, Pompano Park
Pompano Beach, FL — Harness driver Joe Pavia, Jr. tied a North American record for most dead heat win finishes on a single night on Tuesday (Feb. 10) at the Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park.
A dead heat is when the photo finish camera cannot separate two or more horses as they cross the finish line for the purposes of an official order of finish.
![](http://ustrottingnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/30534-PaviaJoe.Jr[1].jpg)
Pompano Park photo
Joe Pavia, Jr.
Pavia, 48, of Coral Springs, started off the evening finishing in a dead heat for place (which does not count towards the record) with Esmeralda Semalu in the third race $16,000 Mares Open Pace. Lucy Lucy (Anthony Napolitano) won the race in 1:53.2 by a head with Esmeralda Semalu and Premier Elecktrah finishing in a dead heat for second place.
Then in the fifth race $4,400 pace, Pavia finished in a dead heat for win with Bilmar Diva against Eve (Anthony Napolitano) in 1:56.
Pavia came back again to the winner’s circle after finishing in a win dead heat in the seventh race $5,500 pace with Rosannette Stena. Riddles Bliss (Denis St. Pierre) was also in that photo in 1:55.4.
According to the United States Trotting Association (USTA), only eight other drivers since 1978 have ever finished in two dead heats for win on a single race program.
Pavia is also just the fifth driver since 1998 to be involved in three dead heat finishes on a single race program, joining Sylvio Fillion (1998), John Moody (2000), Brett Miller (2002) and Rick Plano (2005).