Ricky Macomber Jr. is in the prime of life and in the prime of his career, and the 40-year-old reinsman and resident of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida has another accomplishment to be proud of

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In the 10th race of the Wednesday, February 16 program, Macomber reached the 2,000 lifetime win driving club. The occasion was made sweeter because he owns the four-year-old pacer, Roger And Sam, that carried him to the milestone win, and the gelding is trained by his dad, Richard (Dick) Macomber.

Driving at Pompano and on the Indiana circuit in 2010, Ricky Macomber Jr. compiled his best career year to date. He compiled a slate of 1,628 starts, 217 wins, 220 seconds, and 191 third place finishes for over $2.8 million in purses. Lifetime, Ricky's driving purse earnings are more than $17.2 million.

Micallef Win Binge Rolls On At Pompano

A remarkable streak of success which started last week for horseman Mike Micallef continued on the Wednesday, February 16 program at The Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park.

From his own barn in the past two weeks, Micallef has won with five of seven starters. The hot streak continued in the first race of the mid-week card as trotter Victors Future mowed down his rivals in the stretch for a second straight win in 1:57.1. The other winners he's trained and driven in the past week from his own barn include DVC Givemeattitude, Dovetail, and Dragons Blood. The run of great fortune for the well travelled 37-year-old horseman from Dearborn, Michigan has seen his training UTRS skyrocket almost doubled from .262 at the start of February to a lofty .478 by the finish of the February 16 card. His 2011 training boxscore thus far is 30, 8-9-4 for over $42,000 in purses.

On the Saturday, February 19 program, Micallef's top class performer Dragons Blood is getting the week off. However, his lone training start on the program with four-year-old pacing gelding DVC Givemeattitude will give him a big chance to keep the good times rolling as he's drawn Post 1 in the same condition as his last win in the fourth race.

Next Track Record Challenger?

While the talk of the track in the early weeks of 2011 in South Florida has focused on whether pacer Delivered From Zin would challenge the pacing track record of 1:49.3, the speculation must now be extended to the trotting side after the February 16 performance by Andover America.

In the $14,000 purse weekly feature, Bruce Ranger sat third in line with his stable leader Andover America as Lord Burghley, in rein Wally Hennessey, posted the half in :28 and :57 with P C Moonshine and George Napolitano Jr. sitting in the pocket. Before the three-quarters was reached, Ranger had Andover America moving up on the outside and challenging Lord Burghley at the top turn in 1:24.4. Andover America drew off in the stretch to stop the clock in 1:53.4, just two ticks off the track record set by Tweedle Dum in February of 2007. Lord Burghley finished second but was placed last for breaking rules violations in the stretch. Lord Darby, with Joe Pavia Jr., was placed up to second and Petty Hanover, driven by David Ingraham, was moved up to third.

It was the first win of 2011 for Andover America in his third start back after a month away from racing in January. The six-year-old Andover Hall-Armbro Array gelding won 18 of 33 starts and $153,795 at Pompano and Tioga Downs in 2010 for McTrade Enterprises of Davie, Florida. Stewart Nemiro of the Bruce Ranger stable does the training.

In the co-featured $10,000 purse handicap trot, Southwind Vavoom wasn't bothered by a minor move up the class scale as he scored in 1:54.3 for co-owner, trainer and driver Lormer McClure of Orangeville, Ont.

The five-year-old gelding by Self Possessed-Via Agra Works made it his second straight win in South Florida as he collared the fraction-setter Budget Gap, in rein to Kevin Sizer, with Dr Cal, in rein to George Napolitano Jr., following in for third. John McClure of Georgetown, Ont. holds an ownership share of Southwind Vavoom, a winner of over $78,000 in Ontario in 2010.

(Pompano Park)