By virtue of a 1:50.1 tour in the $15,000 Open Handicap Pace on the Saturday evening, March 27 program, seven-year-old gelding Cammabis became the fastest pacing performer of the 2009-2010 meet at The Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park

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Kevin Wallis had the Cambest-Majestic Lady career winner of over $284,000 fired up off the gate to make all the pace in :27, :54, and 1:22.1, which set the stage for the stretch duel with pocket-sitting favourite Daley Deposit Only with Dan Daley in tow. Cammabis shrugged off that rival's mild bid by mid-stretch with a closing quarter of :28 flat. Omaha Survivor, with Fern Paquet Jr. up, followed in for third. It was a life's mark for Cammabis in his 36th career win for owner Fred Reitberger of Boca Raton and trainer Paul Holzman.

The 1:50.1 achievement by Cammabis was in the first race of the 16-dash doubleheader card, contested under an ideal 77 degree (25 C.) setting in South Florida. The win was one-fifth of a second better than the 1:50.2 performances earlier in the meet by a pair of starters from the Joe Pavia Jr. stable, McRyan Michael and Esmeralda Semalu.

The ideal conditions for speed were also reflected in the life's mark 1:54.1 win in the $15,000 Open Handicap Trot by Gale Warning with driver Tom Sells. The seven-year-old Strong Gale-Lizs Promise gelding fired off the gate from Post 7 to seize command in :28.1, and all the way through panels of :57 and 1:25.3. The outstanding four-year-old mare Alarming Quick started outside in the field of eight and came first over from last at the half to salvage the runner-up share, with Talk About Me and Kevin Wallis taking down third.

"That was quite a performance by Gale Warning considered he had two weeks off between starts," co-owner Rod Lorenzo said in the live trackside post-race TV interview. "But he has a quirk. We have to give him those weeks off, or he's just going to take them off himself and race poorly if he doesn't get the time he needs," Lorenzo said. Michele Lorenzo trains the career winner of over $371,000, and ownership is shared by Rod Lorenzo with Ciro Gentile of Boca Raton. This life's mark effort was earned in the 38th career win for Gale Warning.

Bruce Ranger, the winningest driver in track history, became the first reinsman to surpass 200 winning drives and $1 million in driving purses for the 2009-2010 meet with a four win performance on the night. That number of wins was equalled by Kevin Wallis and Dan Clements had a pair. Peter Blood and Michile Lorenzo were the leading trainers on the 16-race performance by harnessing a pair of winners each.

The Saturday evening doubleheader performances, which began last December 5, have now concluded for the meet, which ends on May 22. In the coming weeks post time is 7:05 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at The Winter Capital Of Harness Racing.

(Pompano Park)