When racing resumes on Saturday, January 28 at The Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park, the youngest member of the training colony in the 2011-2012 meet will be looking to continue a very formidable run of success
.
John McNeil III, a 24-year-old trainer hailing from Vernon Center, New York, is easily on pace for his best career year. In 2011, he sent out 170 starters at Vernon Downs, Saratoga Harness and Pompano with 27 winners for just over $111,000. Already in 2012, McNeil has harnessed up seven winners from 18 starters for almost $24,000 in purse earnings. All told for the Pompano meet, which began last September, McNeil has kept his win stat north of 25 per cent with 15 victories from 57 starters for purses of almost $60,000.
McNeil's run of Pompano programs with at least one winner began last Saturday night in the Open Handicap Pace with Kommander Hawk, the same horse that carries his hopes of running his streak of programs with at least one winner into the January 28 card in the top class. Extending his streak this week were MC Thunderstruck on Monday, Cajun Pearl on Tuesday and Wednesday evening's first race winner MC Tbone Ida. At this stage, you have to go back more than a week to find a Pompano program when a McNeil starter didn't win a race. Kommander Hawk is scheduled to start from Post 5 in a seven-horse field in this weekend's edition of the Open Handicap Pace as McNeil seeks to harness up a winner for a fifth straight card at the South Florida venue.
It's been a family affair for the trainer in his first season making Pompano his winter base, as all of his starters are in the ownership of Ellen or Ben McNeil from Vernon Center, New York.
Also on the Wednesday evening, January 25 program, Keystone Thomas, Florida's dominant trotter of the past 13 months, was a front end winner in 1:55.1 in the $12,000 purse Open Handicap Trot after overcoming an assigned outside Post 7 start. Bruce Ranger was in the bike as the six-year-old Revenue S-Yankee Taboo gelding held off the pocket-sitter Jaavos Boy, in rein to David Ingraham, and the first over challenger, Master Solutions, driven by Ricky Macomber Jr. Ownership of Keystone Thomas, now a career winner of over $242,000, is held by Fred Montelone Stable of Pompano Beach, Florida.
(With files from Pompano Park)