Mach It A Par, perfectly handled by owner Dan Clements, took top honours at Pompano Park on Tuesday night in the $11,000 Open Handicap Pace for fillies and mares.
The five year-old daughter of Mach Three led from first long stride to last and stopped the teletimer in 1:52.1 for her third win in her last four starts and 12th success of the year.
At the start, Mach It A Par seemed to push the starting gate out of her way and clocked panels of :27.4: 56.1 and 1:24.2 before sealing the issue with a :27.2 finale and without an anxious moment during her journey. Stucklikeglue and Rick Plano teamed up for the place honours, while Sandysgoldenhour finished third for Jason Dillander.
“She was in a very good spot tonight with the mid-pack post and she’s a handy thing and just does anything asked of her,” said driver Dan Clements. “She has won here on and off the pace and really had a great week for the gentleman who helps me to no end, Renaldo Morales III.
“Tonight, I just let her do what she wanted to do and that kinda was that. She did this all on her own. All I did was steer tonight. I am blessed to have her.”
The victory pushed Mach It A Par’s seasonal earnings to $82,547 and this win—her 18th lifetime—pushed her career bounty to $119,449. She paid $2.80 to win.
Other mares in the spotlight on Tuesday night were Pertty Music and Jinxys Delight.
Pertty Music, handled by owner Ed Hensley for trainer Ashleigh Hensley, returned to the racing wars after a six-month hiatus in a conditioned event for mares and looked every bit like her “old” self in scoring a handy win over Voluminous (Rick Plano) and Jets Are On (Wally Hennessey) in 1:52.2—this after a long journey outside and “double-bubbled” vying for the lead into the final turn.
This five-year-old daughter of Jeremes Jet scored her 20th lifetime victory—sixth this year in only 16 starts—to push her lifetime bounty to $268,822 of which $55,575 has been accomplished this shortened semester. She paid $8.20.
Jinxys Delight, a six-year-old daughter of Bettors Delight, made her Pompano Park debut a winning one for owner-trainer-driver John Macdonald with a very sharp, grinding forward journey, finally reaching the top spot turning for home and holding firm down the stretch for a 1:52.3 win.
In scoring her fourth victory in-a-row—the last three over Balmoral Park’s one mile oval—Jinxys Delight earned her sixth win of the year and sent her 2015 earnings to $34,138. She recently went over the $150,000 in lifetime bounty and left the winner’s circle this night with career bounty of $153,570. She paid $4.40.
Finally, Pompano Park’s Pentafecta went unscathed on Tuesday night and now has a carryover of $5,097 and an “as yet undetermined guaranteed pool” going into the next racing program on Saturday.
Post time is 7:30 p.m.
(Pompano Park)