A pair of trainers and one driver were making their debut at The Isle Pompano Park for the 2009-2010 meet on Saturday night and all returned as winners
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Trainer Edgar Clarke shipped in from a summer of competition at Pocono Downs and Tioga Downs and was an instant winner with pacer Real Yankee. The five-year-old Real Artist-Leah Hall gelding equalled his life's mark of 1:54 on the 76 degree night in South Florida over a field of claiming pace rivals for Texas owners Jacalyn and Dan Boddie and Cheri Clarke of California.
Tom Artandi has made an astute looking purchase from the Ontario outfit of Murray Brethour of three-year-old Western Terror-Tiger Style gelding AllAmerican Titan. The Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots Series graduate sat in the pocket with Wally Hennessey in tow and was a handy winner after finding room early in the stretch for a life's mark of 1:54. Artandi is now sole owner and trainer of the promising pacer that easily toppled a $5,000 purse conditioned group.
Driver Kevin Wallis, starting his 22nd year of winter competition at The Isle Pompano Park, won his debut as well at the current meet. He was a front end winner in the Open-3 Pace with Touch Of Steel, in 1:52.1 for trainer Michile Lorenzo, and owners Ciro Gentile, Rod Lorenzo, and W.D. Hancock. Change Your Luck in rein to Wally Hennessey gave vigorous pursuit down the stretch but couldn't reach Touch Of Steel. Ive Got The Power partnered by Bruce Ranger was third.
Michile Lorenzo lead all trainers on the program with two winners as she also sent out Florida Breeders program standout Storming Howard to score in 1:53.3. The Mannart Howard-Keriann Hanover gelding is undefeated in six trips this year. Bruce Ranger was in tow with Storming Howard for the handy front end score for the same ownership group as Touch Of Steel.
Kakaley Wins Three
Twenty-one-year-old driver Matt Kakaley has been in the driving colony at The Isle Pompano Park for less than two weeks and wasn't long compiling his first hat trick since re-locating from Ohio.
Kakaley was involved in a win dead heat in the Saturday night feature race, the $13,000 Open Handicap Pace. He was parked the route with Im In Luck and the pair survived the wide trip alongside Cape Karuna with Bruce Ranger for a share of the dead heat win in 1:52.1. Im In Luck is a Camluck-Be My Guest eight-year-old gelding trained by Mike Deters for Pine Vue Stables of Saranac Lake, New York. Cape Karuna survived cutting the mile and persisted for the dead heat for owner-trainer Peter Blood, and co-owners Rick Berks and Roger Slobody.
In addition to the win for trainer Edgar Clarke with claiming pacer Real Yankee, Kakaley also piloted Star Role to victory from the front end over eight rivals in a $5,900 purse conditioned test. The Magical Mike-In Fashion 10-year-old gelding is a 49-time career winner of almost $645,000 for trainer Tom Harmer and owner Michael Polansky.
(Pompano Park)