Love You Bye, overlooked in the wagering at 17-1, got a picture perfect drive from owner Jimmy Whittemore and won the $10,000 Open for fillies and mares at Pompano Park as the South Florida oval hosted the first of 24 Sunday programs stretching into next April.
The four-year-old daughter of McArdle roared out of the gate to take a short lived lead early on before yielding to the 7-5 second choice, Fiesta Camcun (Stephan Lareau), and let the latter post panels of :27.4, :56.2 and 1:25.3. Love You Bye left her cozy pocket turning for home and wore down the leader late to score by a length and a half. Godiva Seelster, racing evenly the entire route, finished third, three lengths off the leader while Southwind Trini, part of the Nemiro/Ranger Stable entry and off as the 6-5 favourite, finished fourth. Asset Management finished fifth to get the final award in the field of seven.
"The mare can be a handful at times -- maybe I should say overly playful -- but she's very handy on the racetrack," said trainer Dennis Whittemore in a post-race interview. "We just kind of let her gallop around during her training sessions and she's given her all every start we have had her. Jimmy just got her a few starts ago and we are very pleased so far."
The win was the fifth of the year for Love You Bye, sending her bounty in 2013 to $57,198. She's banked $162,659 lifetime. She paid $37.20 to her lucky $2 backers.
The Monday night card at the track features a $3,145 Pick 5 carryover with the pool expected to be in excess of $7,500 when the first race lines up back of the starting gate at 7:05 p.m.
(With files from Pompano Park)