Morning Stake Session At Pompano; Brown Returns

The stage is now set for the opening of the 47th season of live harness racing action at The Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park with the completion of the second leg of the Florida Sunshine State Stakes on October 9

. The Florida Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association (FSBOA) staged the 17-race program for the state-bred two and three-year-olds for total purses of over $60,000 during the Saturday morning session.

Among the day's winners was three-year-old filly trotter Prairie Treasure. The daughter of Arapa Victory-Lucky Toy is trained and driven by Ray Vizzi for owner Steve Stabile of Delray Beach, Florida.

"She won today in a modest time of 2:03.3 but she was looking eager to get out and going much sooner than when Ray tipped her out going into the last turn," Stabile observed. "I think she'll be a lot better than she was as a two- year-old in 2009 in the Florida program. We stumbled onto a secret with this filly. She really likes a couple of apple wafer treats around the barn. Her attitude is great and we're hoping for a big Fall campaign with her," he adds.

In addition to Prairie Treasure, the owner-trainer team of Stabile and Vizzi will be sending out two-year-old FSBOA colt pace competitor Stevie Rays Dream and a pair of veteran trotters, Revington and Mather's Lavec in the upcoming Pompano campaign.

A trio of returning champions from 2009 were also in action in the October 9 session. Black Diamond Girl has emerged as a top threat to repeat as an FSBOA champion at age three after a handy score in 1:56.3 in rein to Wally Hennessey. Kim Sears trains the daughter of Six Of Diamonds-Money For Munchkin for Florida owners Penny Kelley and Jay Sears. Last year's two-year-old filly trot champion, Pocohontas Fame, settled for a runner-up finish in her October 9 outing and so did the 2009 two-year-old colt pace champion, Stiletto Jake.

Brown Fit For Pompano Opener

Before the FSBOA program on October 9 at Pompano there were seven qualifying races held, which featured the return of driver Doug Brown to race bike duty.

"The doctors told me I'd be out for between two and three months after the vertebrae injury to my back at Kawartha Downs but now I'm fine to go for Pompano's opening program on October 16," Brown said after piloting Royel Millenium from his own stable to a 1:58.4 qualitying spin. "My back started feeling a lot better about two weeks ago. I'm back up to a full schedule of being able to jog and drive horses again about seven weeks after that accident" he adds. "It's a big relief to be back to work close to a month sooner than I expected to be."

Brown, a Canadian Horse Racing Hall Of Fame inductee, is thus set for his first full season at The Winter Capital Of Harness Racing. Post time is 7:05 p.m. for the opening card of the 2010-2011 campaign on Saturday, October 16 at The Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park.

(Pompano Park)