The McNeil racing family from Vernon Center, New York has competed for just three months in Florida, but their minds are already made up to return in future years

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"It's working out much better than we expected and we're so relieved we've been able to continue the strong year at our home base of Vernon Downs in the summer months to here at Pompano for the winter," beamed John McNeil after the family's homebred filly Mc Tbone Ida won Wednesday's evening's fourth race. "We really weren't sure what to expect, and we'd been told the racing in Florida is tough and competitive, but so far so good for my son and our stable."

Other recent starters under the ownership of Ellen McNeil and Ben McNeil have included trotters Mc Thunderstruck and Salome Marvel, pacing mare Cajun Pearl, claiming pacer Kommander Hawk. Their three-year-old pacing filly Looney Dune was denied a fourth straight win by a neck to the cone-skimming pocket-sitter Pams Legacy in $10,000 claiming company on the December 28 program.

By the numbers, John McNeil's son, trainer John McNeil III, is capping off a career-best year at age 24. Including his accomplishments at New York's Vernon Downs and Saratoga Harness in 2011, purses for the year earned by trainer John McNeil III have surpassed $110,000 with 27 winners from 168 starters. The December 28 win at Pompano moved John McNeil III into elite company in the Pompano trainers' standings with a 25 percent win statistic. He's harnessed up nine winners from 36 starters so far at his first winter meet in Florida.

"Considering that we're racing a small stable made up mostly of our own homebreds it's been real relief to find we can fit in as well here as we do back in New York state," said McNeil. "My wife and I have to go home now for a couple weeks. Trust me, we're looking forward to coming back to be with our son and help him out, and after seeing winter again in New York state we'll be coming back to Pompano as soon as possible."

Top Trot To Jaavos Boy

The last edition of Florida's top weekly trot in 2011 went to the gate on December 28 with Jaavos Boy a dominating winner in 1:54.4. David Ingraham was in the bike to send the five-year-old S Js Photo-Hayworth Hanover gelding through fractions of :27.2, :56, and 1:25 en route to his sixth win in 33 trips this year for season's earnings of $103,875. In the event handicapped by earnings in the last five starts, the pocket-sitting Keystone Thomas, driven by Bruce Ranger, followed in for second and Master Solutions, in rein to Ricky Macomber Jr., was third. Barry Probber conditions Jaavos Boy for the Probber Morse Stable of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

The New Year's Eve eight-race card at 7:15 p.m. Eastern on Saturday night will include the return to the racing wars of 2011 Little Brown Jug champ Big Bad John in the Open Pace, the probable coronation of Dan Noble as the season's dash title winner as he wraps up his 2011 campaign with four drives scheduled on the December 31 Pompano card, the Miami Food Trucks with a trackside deejay and a post-race fireworks show.

Post time is 7:15 p.m. Eastern every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday at The Winter Capital Of Harness Racing.

(Pompano Park)