A pair of veteran trotters sent out by owner and trainer Tracy Brainard overwhelmed the competition on the Wednesday evening, January 26 program at Pompano Park
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"I knew it was a good night but I didn't even realize both Fancy Shot and Lord Burghley had tied their life's marks until I got back to the winner's circle after the eighth race," Brainard said. "Not all of them in my barn here at Pompano have come into form right now but at least these two trotters have," she added.
Fancy Shot was making his debut for Brainard and the nine-year-old Angus Hall-Fancy Fancy Fancy gelding was priced at $20,000. Fancy Shot was a front end winner in 1:54, and five races later Lord Burghley added to the Brainard barn's celebrations with a front end score in 1:54.2 in the weekly $12,000 purse top trot. Lord Burghley, a 10-year-old Armbro Invasion-Lady Of Substance gelding held off the pocket-sitter P C Moonshine, in rein to Anthony Napolitano. Sun Island, with David Ingraham, followed in for third.
"Fancy Shot I knew quite a bit about, I'd watched him at The Meadowlands and I knew of his quirky history of sometimes pulling himself up. I claimed him last week for $19,000 because I still think he's worth the risk in that price range. Lord Burghley I'd raced in the top class at Saratoga late last year and he doesn't have to be on the front end but Wally [Hennessey] wanted them both out there tonight and I couldn't ask for much more. It's always great to come home to Pompano since I'm originally from near here at DeLeon Springs, Florida. I have to go up to the northern home base at Vernon, New York this weekend to tend to some things and I'm not looking forward to facing winter," Brainard explained. "It'll be tough to leave home here in Florida on March 1st to go up there for most of 2011 but this is proving to be a great winter vacation anyway."
Henry Stable Hottest In The South This Week
Although his primary focus at this time of year is getting two and three-year-olds ready for a spring return to Ontario, horseman Wayne Henry of Arthur, Ont. has run the table with all three of his Pompano starters in the last two programs.
On the Tuesday card Henry sent out four-year-old trotting mare Daylon Mission to victory in the weekly Florida Amateur Driving Club event with Laurie Lee Poulin in the bike. On the same program, he was in the driver's seat himself to team rapidly developing four-year-old pacing mare Eyewitness Account to victory, her fourth win in five starts at the South Florida venue. On the Wednesday evening program, Henry counted another training and driving win with four-year-old trotting mare Velten Ladolcevita.
An 11-race program is in store when racing resumes on Saturday evening, January 29. In the $12,000 purse weekly top class pacing feature, Delivered From Zin has again been assigned the outside post in the field to try to redeem himself from breaking stride last week as a 1-9 favourite. Post is 7:05 p.m. EST every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday at The Winter Capital Of Harness Racing. Free race night streaming of the action and the replays archive is in the 'racing' tab at www.theislepompanopark.com.
(Pompano Park)