It's an extremely rare occurance when a track's top two drivers are involved in major upset long odds wins on the same program but that's what happened at The Isle Pompano Park as Monday evening racing debuted on the schedule on November 2
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The common denominator for the upsets by the track's marquee reinsmen was the outside Post 9. Bruce Ranger, the South Florida track's all-time winningest driver was a front-end winner in the seventh race claiming trot with Kid Conway at a stunning 23-1 for a $48.60 win mutuel. Stewart Nemiro trains the Conway Hall-Royal Sweep six-year-old gelding for Fred Monteleone Stable of Pompano Beach as he surpassed the $200,000 life's earnings plateau with his 23rd career victory.
Wally Hennessey, again a solid second to Ranger in the drivers' colony this year, had an answer for that just two races later. He sat far off the pace with Spirit Inmy Pocket and then mowed down his claiming pace rivals in the final half to score at 10-1 for a $23.00 win mutuel and top a whopping superfecta of $21,931.80. Brian Hauck trains the class dropping shipper that had been campaigning at Indianapolis for Haucks Stables.
The tone for the night of upsets had been set in the daily double. Fern Paquet, Jr. parlayed a ground saving trip in the first race with claiming pace mare Tara Bow to return $61.40 on the win ticket for trainer Paul Holzman and owner Fred Reitberger of Boca Raton. That was followed by a $36.00 winner in the second race as David Ingraham was in perfect position to score with claiming trotter Smothers after favoured Spas Overcoat made a final turn break in stride. Smothers, a Keystone Smothers-Mark Of Quality five-year-old gelding racked up his fifth win in twenty-five starts this year for owner and trainer Fred Cohen of Coconut Creek, Florida.
(Pompano Park)