About the same time that the sun was setting in Pompano Beach on Monday night - 7:43 p.m. – the track’s version of Lady Godiva, known here as Godiva Seelster, was pacing her way into the sunset with an easy win in the $10,000 Open Handicap Pace for the Mares.

This five-year-old daughter of Camluck, making two moves early in the mile, secured command for good just after the :27 opening panel and then waltzed over to the half in :56 before picking up the pace during a :28.2 third panel and then cementing the deal with a :26.4 finale - hitting the line in career-best clocking of 1:51.1.

Trained by Dan Hennessey for owners Paul and Patricia O'Neil, Godiva Seelster was driven to victory by Wally Hennessey, scoring by 4-3/4 lengths over Senorita Santanna (Aaron Byron) with All Charged Up (Kevin Wallis) third, five lengths away. Mach Me Not finished fourth in the quintet with Glow Stick picking up the nickel.

Not only did Godiva Seelster win for the third time this semester in five starts, it stretched her streak of starts earning purse money to 51, encompassing her entire seasons as a three, four and, thus far, five year-old.

The crowning touch of this mile was the fact that Godiva Seelster's final sprint to the wire marked the first time she has ever paced a final quarter as fast as :26.4.

"She's an amazing mare...that's all there is to it,” said Wally Hennessey. “She knows how to take care of herself and she's just a well mannered, hard hitting, ultra-consistent and dependable racehorse as you'd ever want to drive...just amazing."

Though 1-9 on the tote-board, Godiva Seelster, in reality, was 1 to 20 and returned $2.10 to win.

Her career scorecard now reads 14-13-14 in 60 lifetime starts, good for $130,342 in career bounty, $125,714 during her in-the-money streak.

In Pompano Park's Super Hi-5, there were multiple winning tickets on the 20 cent 4-2-5-7-1 combination, sending the carryover to the Wednesday program to $136,776.

(Pompano Park)