Sea Shadows, confidently handled by Wally Hennessey, used a :26.4 sprint home to capture Pompano Park's $14,200 Open I Pace for mares on Wednesday night (Jan. 12), stopping the timer in 1:52.2.
The outstandingly consistent seven-year-old daughter of Shadow Play, also trained by Hennessey for owner Paul O'Neil, followed both Crisp Mane (David Miller) and Roll With Angel (Kevin Wallis) off the wings at the start before taking charge after a :27.4 opener and went on to post sensible fractions of :56.4 and 1:25.3 before her :26.4 sprint home left no doubt about the outcome at the wire.
The winning margin was a length over Crisp Mane with Roll With Angel next -- both also carding sub-:27 final panels but unable to dent the armor of the leader in the drive to the wire.
Image Of A Dream, seventh and last halfway through, paced her final half in :54.4 to rally for fourth while Sweet Heaven picked up the nickel in a classy million-dollar septet.
After the event, driver Wally Hennessey said, "Well, it sure was a lot easier driving tonight than last night when the mud was really flying around. So, first, I have to tip my hat to the great track crew, Dan Roberts, Tommy Beckette and Michel Bilodeau. They were working all night on the track to keep it safe for us and it showed tonight.
"My mare was outstanding tonight and I was quite confident once we got to the half in :56 and a piece. After all, she had won a few starts before then getting to the half in :55 and a piece, so you can see why I felt the way I did halfway through tonight. She sure was in full flight once we hit the top of the lane, that's for sure."
In getting her initial win of the new year in two starts, Sea Shadows won for the 32nd time in 87 career starts, vaulting her lifetime bankroll to $245,301.
Off at 9-5, Sea Shadows paid $5.80 to win as a narrow favourite.
The $12,600 Open II Pace for the ladies went to Brilliant Beauty for Kevin Wallis in the night's fastest mile -- 1:51.4.
The four-year-old daughter of JK Endofanera used different tactics this night, ditching her recent off-the-pace strategy to be forwardly placed as the gate left the station with a retake just after a :27.2 opening panel setting the stage for the rest of the journey.
Carding subsequent panels of :55.1 and 1:23.1, Brilliant Beauty was never threatened in scoring a 1-1/4-length win over Bellacache (Ricky Macomber Jr.) with Dont Chip Me (Hennessey) third. Sunrise Hanover and Abuelita Hanover also earned minor awards in the field of nine.
Trained by Tee Wine for the Jemaxpo Stable Racing Stable, Brilliant Beauty earned her 10th career victory and reached the $100,000 mark in lifetime earnings.
Brilliant Deauty returned $3 to her multitude of faithful.
An oddity of sorts happened in the fourth race pentafecta as the 5-2 favourite, Panamanian Hanover, scored for Kevin Wallis but the 2-3-6-5-1 pentafecta combination went unsolved resulting in a rare carryover for Sunday's pentafecta of $7,253.15.
The other pentafecta for Sunday -- the Super Hi-5 -- has a carryover of $30,728.
Of course, the $15,000 guaranteed pool for the track's popular Pick-4 will remain in place highlighted by the industry low 12 per cent takeout.
Post time is set for 7:20 p.m.
(With files from Pompano Park)