Tater Twister stretched his winning streak to three at Pompano Park on Monday night (January 2), stopping the timer in a lifetime-best 1:53.2 for driver Mike Simons in Pompano Park’s $12,000 Open Handicap Trot.
The seven-year-old gelded son of ABC Garland took clear command two strides past the first eighth mile and went on to post hot fractions of :26.4, :55 and 1:24 en route to a five-length win over Shes All In, driven by Rick Plano.
Diamond Dagger, with Jason Dillander in the bike, rallied from last in this talented quintet to finish third, five and a half lengths away, while Railee Workable finished fourth. Serendipitious was fifth in a field shortened by the scratch of Gold Savage.
In a post-race interview, driver Mike Simons, the author of 3,678 career wins, related, “I’ve driven a lot of horses over the years and this one is as fast a trotter as I have ever sat behind.
“Even with a :26.4 opener, I had no concerns as he was doing it all on his own with no urging on my part.
“He just loves racing, he loves competing and he’s just an enthusiastic racehorse.
“Mike (trainer Murphy) loves him and I certainly can see why. He’s just a joy to drive and I am glad to be the one in the bike. He makes me look good!”
Trained by Murphy for Imogene Rhule, Geneva Stewart and Barbara Murphy, Tater Twister begins his 2017 campaign on the heels of his best season ever, winning nine times in 40 starts, good for $59,582.
The win tonight -- his 17th lifetime -- vaulted his career bankroll to $118,761.
As the 2-5 favourite, Tater Twister paid $2.80 to win.
The $10,000 Open 2 Trot went to Write That Down, stepping up a notch after a win to close out 2016 in Open 3 company.
The six-year-old altered son of Crazed, driven by John MacDonald, came from well out of it to score in a lifetime-best 1:54.3 over Swan Handicap (Ricky Macomber Jr.) with Explosive Muscles (Dave Ingraham) third. Cashahallic finished fourth in the mile while Uriel picked up the minor award.
It was Commentary blasting off the wings to take an early lead, guiding the field through an opener of :27.1 before yielding to Swan Handicap. That four year-old sprinted past the half in :55.3 before feeling the heat from the favourite, Cashahallic, around the final turn.
With three-quarters in a hot 1:24.4, Swan Handicap and Cashahallic got into a heated battle with Explosive Muscles giving chase on the outside and Write That Down swinging widest of all and collaring the leaders inside the sixteenth pole on the strength of his :29.1 finale.
The win evened Write That Down’s scorecard at 14-14-14 in 70 starts, pushing his lifetime bounty to $105,732.
Trained by Jason Robinson for Taylormade Race Horses and Two Hands Racing, Write That Down was fifth choice on the board at 7-1 and returned $17 to win.
Racing continues on Tuesday night with a competitive 10-race program highlighted by a $10,000 guarantee on the track’s Pick-4 event, covering races six through nine. Post time is 7:20 p.m.
(With files from Pompano Park)