The four new late closing series for the spring season developed by Racing Secretary Greg DeFrank have all filled and the first round of action goes to the starting this weekend at the Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park

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Youngsters from the care of veteran colt and filly developer Dan Daley will be in the spotlight on both Friday and Saturday evening. In the opening round of the Spring Training Trotting Series on Friday night (for five-year-olds and younger, NW2 as of March 15) he'll send out Reven Up, a three-year-old Revenue S-On The Muscle gelding.

"He's owned by a great guy I met some years ago at the Harrisburg Sale, Larry Ferguson of Sutton West, Ontario. He's just a great owner and huge fan of the game," Daley says. "Reven Up has some ability and he's been able to overcome some problems. The jury is still out on what he'll be capable of this year. If there ever was an owner I would like to see have a good horse someday, it's Larry Ferguson," Daley adds.

His other Friday night prospect is Pioneer Valley, a three-year-old Malabar Man-Chocolatto Chip gelding that won four of five starts last year and dominated in the Massachusetts Sires Stakes. Last Friday night, he had a nondescript start against older conditioned rivals when he trotted his own mile in 2:02.1 from Post 8 in the rain. Pioneer Valley will race from Post 5 in the first round of the Longshot Trotting Series (for five-year-olds and younger, NW4 as of March 15) against the Ron Gurfein trained favourite, Crown Laurel, owned by Brittany Farms. "Pioneer Valley is like Reven Up with respect to the fact that they both need more racing and experience to get their confidence up. These new late closers are well timed for us that race in Florida to see where we are exactly with these young horses," Daley says.

Perhaps the marquee starter from the Dan Daley outfit this weekend is three-year-old Modern Art-Sassy Cessiann pacing colt Daleys Interest. At two, he took a September 12 mark of 1:54.2 at Vernon Downs after starting in the Ontario Sires Stakes Gold and Grassroots Series and in the Battle Of Waterloo eliminations.

"He's trained down well and I think he might have more ability than he shows," Daley said. "In that Battle of Waterloo elimination [at Ontario's Grand River Raceway] the trip didn't work out for Daleys Interest as I would have hoped, I couldn't get there that day as I was too busy. He trained well over the winter and I hope with more experience he can do well in Ontario and some other minor events this year."

The comparisons are inevitable for Daleys Interest against his older brother, Daley Deposit Only, the winner of the $50,000 Bernard Goldstein Memorial in South Florida a couple months ago and the dominant Open Handicap performer of this entire Pompano meet.

"This colt actually has as much wild speed as Daley Deposit Only," Daley adds. "He's actually a little better gaited and he change gears faster than his older brother can. In his first start back on Saturday night he's drawn outside Post 9 in an 11-horse field so the goals will be to avoid traffic trouble and have him finishing strong."

The other late closing event set to begin is The Springboard Series (for three and four year olds NW2 as of March 15, fillies and mares NW3) with a single division on Saturday night. New York Sires Stakes hopeful Erichs Best from the Jamie and Fern Paquet Jr. operation has drawn in against Touch Of Grand, an Astreos-Pick A Card three-year-old gelding owned and trained by Gary Hodgson of London, ON.

(Pompano Park)