It was a relieved trainer Bill Gallagher in the winner's circle at the Isle Casino and Racing Pompano Park on Saturday evening, January 23, after his charge Tom Cango scored a dominant front end win in the $13,000 Open Trot
.
"This finally ends what has been more than a month of hell getting this guy back to what we know he can be," Gallagher said in his post race live trackside TV interview. "The owner Joe Chnapko to his credit stuck with me and said take all the time necessary and I'm glad for him that 'Tom' came through. We made a $130,000 purchase of this horse last fall at Harrisburg and hopefully Joe Chnapko will get another turn with a top level horse with something close to the same kind of run we had with Hellava Hush."
With "Trottin Trevor" Ritchie in the bike for his 2010 driving debut, Tom Cango was sure footed from the start and took command from Post 5 right away. On the breezy 74 degree (23 C.) evening, the four-year-old Tom Ridge-B Cor Tamgo son was on the lead past markers of :28.1, :57.3, and 1:26.3 and at the finish he withstood a frantic late charge from Andover America, with Bruce Ranger, to stop the clock in 1:55.4. McCoy, with Wally Hennessey in tow, was third.
"I really never gave Trevor any instructions on how to drive him," Gallagher explained. "I just said score him out, see how he feels, and drive him any way you want. Trevor said he really liked him and said to put him down to drive him in the coming weeks too."
It was the third start of the four-year-old campaign for Tom Cango, who raced in his division's elite events in his two and three-year-old seasons. This win pushed his life's bankroll to almost $455,000.
The Red Hot Holzman
There was no trainer hotter than Paul Holzman at the Isle on Saturday evening as all three of his starters returned with dominant wins.
Leading the Holzman haul was Cammabis in the $13,000 Open Handicap Pace. With Anthony Napolitano in tow, Cammabis seized the lead from Sugars Pride and Wally Hennessey just before the front quarter of :26.3. That lead pair would go the rest of the way past markers of :56 and 1:24 before Cammabis sprinted home to win in 1:51.2 to hold off the pocket sitting Sugars Pride. Ive Got The Power, with Bruce Ranger, was third.
It was the second straight week that Cammabis won the top weekly pacing event in South Florida for owner Fred Reitberger of Boca Raton. The life's bankroll for the Cambest-Majestic Lady seven-year-old gelding now tops $250,000.
Holzman's other winners were with $15,000 claiming pacer Pan Prix in 1:52 and $20,000 claiming pacer Lover Boy Le Ru in 1:51.4. Both were driven by George Napolitano, Jr.
From the sixteen races contested on the doubleheader performance, Bruce Ranger and Anthony Napolitano were the driving leaders as each man teamed home four winners.
Gaetan Lamy Returns To Action
One of the top reinsman ever produced in Quebec has resurfaced after two years away from racing.
Gaetan Lamy made his debut for the current meet at the Isle on the Saturday evening, January 23 program with a fifth place finish behind Genesisjerseyspeed in the $10,000 purse Open-2 Trot. Lamy is also training the six-year-old gelding after a private purchase in the past week by Denis Goyette of Laval, Quebec.
Lamy, 62, has amassed 6,694 lifetime winning drives for over $32 million in purse earnings. He was honoured as Canada's top driver with a Standardbred Canada O'Brien award in 1992.
(With files from Pompano Park)