Persistence has paid off for 25-year-old trainer Kyle Caulfield. With his 34th starter he earned his first career win on the Saturday evening, May 7 program

at The Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park.

Caulfield, of Dunnellon, Florida and originally from Jackson, New Jersey, made a private purchase of pacer Lastcomicstanding in April from trainer Tom Wine. In his second start for Caulfield, the seven-year-old gelding by Whelan Willie-Comic Bon Bon was given a textbook second over trip by Wally Hennessey to topple a field of $4,000 claiming pacers.

The win by Lastcomicstanding also represents the first career purse earnings cheque for Caulfield.

Four Starz Bling showed the highest life's earnings on the program page but still went off at more than 3-1 in capturing the weekly $14,000 top class pace one race earlier.

Last week, the Blissful Hall-Carrietowne nine-year-old gelding finished fourth after cutting the mile and finally yielding to Daley Deposit Only. This time out, driver Wally Hennessey had Four Starz Bling gunning to the front and parking out race favourite Dragons Blood, in rein to Mike Micallef, past the front quarter in :27.1, and then sitting in the pocket.

After a breather to the half in :57.1, Dragons Blood had to deal with the first over attack from Sugars Pride, in rein to Chuck Connor Jr., down the backstretch and to the final turn in 1:24.4. In the stretch, Four Starz Bling emerged from the pocket to edge out Dragons Blood and stop the clock in 1:52.3. Avantage, the longest offering on the board at 30-1 with Mickey McNichol in the bike, followed in for third.

It was the 39th career win for the Tom Harmer-trained Four Starz Bling and the pacer's lifetime bankroll now tops $466,000 for the Ciara Stable of Willowbrook, Illinois.

In the co-featured winners over pace for a $10,000 purse, Card Dealer overpowered the field in 1:52 for his 25th career win. He yielded the lead only briefly at the quarter of :26.4 and Dan Clements returned him to the front going to the half in :55.1.

The Camluck-Affluence sixiyear-old gelding blitzed the backstretch in :27.3 to the final turn in 1:22.4 and cruised under the wire in 1:52 over C A Marauder, in rein to Richard Simard. Three-year-old Waldy Jimmy, with Wally Hennessey in the bike, was up in class to race against older horses and was a closing third as his five-race win streak ended.

Peter Blood trains Card Dealer for the Deal Me In Stable of Pompano Beach, Florida. This victory improved his career bankroll to more than $320,000.

(Pompano Park)