Mike Micallef has always maintained that the best game for top class pacer Dragons Blood is from the front end. The driver and horse were tested to the limit to prove it in the feature race on the Saturday, December 10 program at The Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park and they came through with flying colours

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Micallef, also the trainer of the seven-year-old Dragon Again-Canaco Model gelding, had him on the lead in :27-seconds in the $12,000 Open Handicap Pace with Ricks Sign and Fern Paquet Jr. challenging. Dragons Blood would never surrender the top to Ricks Sign as the pair waged a private war out front to the half in :54.1 and three-quarters in 1:22.2. In the last quarter, Dragons Blood withstood one final test from the pocket-sitting Sfumato, in rein to Ed Hensley, with the win time registered at 1:51.1.

Dragons Blood thus made it his eighth win in 32 starts this year for 2011 earnings of $91,150, which includes six starts this year at Tioga Downs and the other 26 times to the gate in the top class at Pompano. The pacer has almost quadrupled his $28,000 claiming tag price from September 7, 2010 at Pocono Downs for the ownership connections of Anita Micallef of Pompano Beach and Lew Whitaker of Boynton Beach, Florida.

Although it was the occasion of his 60th birthday, it was just another night at the office for horseman Rick Plano on the Saturday evening card in South Florida. The veteran horseman racked up six drives on the card in addition to a pair of training starts from his own barn.

Plano, and his wife Maryann, now call Pompano Beach their winter home in South Florida. The former kingpin at Cal-Expo is a career winning driver of over 5,800 races for more than $22.8 million in purse earnings in addition to his training achievement of harnessing up over 3,200 winners for almost $15 million earned.

In the coming week, Pompano is scaling up to 12 live races for the December 12, 13, and 14 programs. On weeknights there's a $5,000 guaranteed pool and reduced takeout at 15 percent for the Pick 4 wager in conjunction with the Strategic Wagering Program of the United States Trotting Association. Pompano's innovative MEGA 9 wager is offered every race night with a base 10 cent wager and a minimum payout of $5,000 in the event of a single winning ticket. Each night there is not a single winning ticket for the MEGA 9, 60 percent of the pool is returned to those selecting the most winners and 40 percent goes to the carryover jackpot pool.

Post time is 7:15 p.m. Eastern every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday at The Winter Capital Of Harness Racing. In the upcoming holiday season there is no live harness racing from December 22 through December 26.

(Pompano Park)