Napolitano handed 9 months

Pocono Downs’ leading horseman George Napolitano Jr. has received an aggregate suspension of 270 days and fined $4,500 for three positive tests in early April at that racetrack. Napolitano, who turned 40 on May 25, is the top driver at the track with 90 victories and his 46 wins as a trainer also leads that category.

Napolitano’s positives were all for the drugs Dihydroergocornine, Dihydroergocryptine and Dihydroergocristine, all found in samples collected from the horse Annabelle Lou on April 11 and the horses Mac Wynwood and Bloodstock’s Sam on April 12. He received three suspensions of 90 days and $1,500 for each alleged infraction.

Napolitano’s overall 2006 training stats currently show him ranked tied for ninth in North America with 94 wins, with a UTR of .450, a figure which he surpassed the past two seasons. Last year his 210 training victories ranked him 12th in North America.

Napolitano’s suspension is set to begin June 6 and run through March 2, 2007. According to Pennsylvania State Harness Racing Commission executive secretary Anton Leppler, Napolitano has 10 days to appeal the rulings from the time he received notification. Leppler, who was reached by harnessracing.com via cell phone away from his commission office, said he was unsure of the exact timeframe Napolitano has to make any appeal.

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