from Harness Publicists across North America

Friday’s (Jan. 1) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from Pompano Park and Cal-Expo.

Immediate impact by Clements, Napolitano at Pompano

Pompano Beach, FL — They had delayed their first appearances in the 2009-2010 campaign until Jan. 1 at The Isle Pompano Park but drivers Anthony Napolitano and Dan Clements received notice immediately upon arrival for duty.

Clements executed a sweep of the field in the third quarter in Friday evening’s fifth race in South Florida in his first drive at the meet. Sitting last in a field of seven $10,000 claiming mares past the half, Clements tipped Daniel’s Scene three wide to pace from last to first. The Artistic Freedom-Don’t Make A Scene mare is owned and trained by Don Cromer and this win was in 1:55.3 over the track rated sloppy due to heavy rains earlier in the day. See’s A Lookin, trained and driven by Napolitano, cut the opening half of the mile and persisted for the runner-up position.

Napolitano, now 28, returns to Pompano after capping his best career year to date in the bike with 295 wins in 2009 for over $2.5 million in purses. Last year, he was the 2008-2009 leading driver in South Florida and in the summer months he was based at Pocono Downs. Last year was also Napolitano’s best career year training thus far as he harnessed 50 winners for over $476,000 in purse earnings.

Clements will celebrate his 45th birthday later this month and has competed seasonally on several occasions in South Florida for almost two decades. At his Ontario home base when not at Pompano, Clements has won numerous driving titles at Georgian Downs and in his career he’s posed for almost 1,900 winner’s photographs for over $13 million in purses. He curtailed his training activities in 2005.

Lap Time Photo – Skip Smith

Esmeralda Semalu was a 1:55.3 winner.

The top event of the January 1 program was the $13,000 Mares Open Handicap Pace. Favored Esmeralda Semalu survived a first quarter inquiry when overtaking Chapsboots N Spurs with Wally Hennessey to record a dominant front end victory in 1:55.3.

In 2009, Esmeralda Semalu notched 12 wins in 27 starts, highlighted by her 1:49.4 tour of Pompano Park last March. For her 6-year-old season’s debut she was sent through fractions of :28.1, :58.4 and 1:26.4 before stopping the clock in 1:55.3. Other top choices Alice Springs and Bling faltered, allowing Rio Raider with Matt Kakaley and Shytown Lightning with Andy Santeramo to complete the top three positions.

The winner, a daughter of Electric Stena-Anemone Semalu, is owned by BJR and AGC Stables. She was one of several productive members of the Joe Pavia, Jr. stable in 2009 that helped to propel him to a career best year in the bike with 325 wins for over $3.2 million in driving purses.

— Frank Salive

Sintillating reaches milestone at Cal-Expo

Sacramento, CA — A very good trip combined with her strong late move equaled a win for Sintillating that put her career earnings over $200,000. Filly and Mare Open handicap pacers, racing for a purse of $6,800 over a track listed as sloppy, were featured at Cal-Expo on Friday night, in which Sintillating was fastest of all.

Before starting from post position four in the field of five, trainer Tim Maier wanted to take advantage of what was offered.

“It was a nice cozy field and I was looking to stay as close as I could at all times,” noted Maier.

Urged past the start to leave and drop in third as the field entered the first turn, the 6-year-old remained in the three hole through first half fractions of :29.1 and :58.1.

With no movement in the race by anybody, including the caboose sitting 2-5 favorite Don’t Tempt Me (Luke Plano), Maier remained content after five-eighths of a mile.

“I didn’t feel her (Don’t Tempt Me) there so I just held my ground and knew I wasn’t going to have to use my mare until I absolutely had to.”

Now under hand-urging at the three-quarter pole, timed in 1:26.2, Maier moved his charge to second-over position late in the final turn when the pocket sitting Biggest Big Bertha (Rick Plano) popped out. He then flipped her three-wide under urging with less than 3-16ths to go — all while knowing what to expect from his mare.

“It always takes her a little while to get going and generally at the wire she’s at full speed.”

Gaining from mid-stretch on, Sintillating, as her pilot knows so very well, surged at the wire to get up by a neck.

“She was tonight as she usually is at the wire, and she got up just in time.”

Bred and owned by Alan Kirschenbaum and Denise Maier, Sintillating won ($9.20) in 1:54.4, thus recording her 25th career victory. Biggest Big Bertha had to settle for second and the pace-setting Zoom Past You (Lemoyne Svendsen) finished another 1-3/4 lengths farther back in third. Heavily favored Don’t Tempt Me had the fastest final quarter in the race (:27.3), but simply had too much ground to make up and finished in fourth.

“I was real tickled with her going over $200,000 ($201,549). It’s kind of ironic that her and Biggest Big Bertha, who are probably the two best daughters of Little Steven, finished 1-2 — for which I’m happy for the breeder, Alan Kirschenbaum,” finished Maier.

— Scott Ehrlich