On Tuesday, October 20 at Pompano Park, Godiva Seelster extended her streak of earning a purse cheque to 69 races. The five year-old daughter of Camluck recorded a wire-to-wire victory in a lifetime-best 1:50.4 for driver Wally Hennessey.
Winbak Heavenly (driven by Aaron Byron) finished second and Just A Bee (Mike Micallef) was third. Mach It A Pair (Renaldo Morales) and Jets Are On (Kevin Wallis) finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
Godiva Seelster had started from Post 7 and cut the fractions in :27, :54.2 and 1:22.2 before finishing off the mile with a :28.2 final quarter-mile.
During a post-race interview, Hennessey stated that Godiva Seelster basically drove him during the mile. "When Mike (Micallef) came out, I really couldn't afford to restrain my mare because she was so intent on staying on the bit. When they feel that strong, I don't think it's a good idea to restrain them...and she really felt strong tonight."
When asked if he was worried off of a :54.2 opening half mile, Hennessey said, "Well, yes and no. You always worry when the half is that fast, but once I got over to that final turn and she was still grabbing a hold, those worries disappeared. She was terrific tonight."
For Godiva Seelster, who now sports a record of 12-8-1 from 23 starts this season, the win sent her lifetime bounty to $207,957 -- $98,125 in 2015 for owners Paul and Patricia O'Neil.
Also of note is the fact that Godiva Seelster’s trainer, Dan Hennessey, improved on his lofty UTR, which now close to .490, with his 45th win in only 114 starts.
The card also featured FSBOA Sunshine State Stakes races, which were won by Gleneagles (1:58.3), Caesars Forum (1:58.3), Gold Star Dynasty (1:57.3) and Prairie Sweetheart (1:58.3).
Racing continues on Sunday night and will feature Open pacers and a Super Hi-5 carryover in excess of $3,400.
First-race post time is 7:30 p.m.
(With files from Pompano)