The addition of Brian Sears to the line up drivers for the 2010 Florida Super Night at Pompano Park is truly the icing on the cake
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Total purses for the showcase of the year’s best in the Florida Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association (FSBOA) gala night will easily surpass $450,000. The eight divisional championships in the Florida Breeders Stakes is on the eve of the FSBOA yearling and mixed horse sale on the Pompano backstretch and brings to a conclusion to the four race Fall Series.
Sears, one of the top reinsman on the continent who is now based in New Jersey, is slated for bike duty in half of the evening’s 12 races in this return to his former stomping grounds in South Florida. The 42-year-old driver was born in Ft. Lauderdale, and in the past six years alone his mounts have earned close to $100 million.
Among the most anticipated match-ups is the $58,825 two-year-old colt and gelding pace, the Florida Breeders Stakes Championship, which is Saturday’s sixth race. Palm Beach Boy, who will be racing from the stable of Kim and Jay Sears, has drawn Post 4, which is to the inside of the likely post-time favourites, Full Of Sand and Creating A Dream, who have drawn Post 6 and Post 9, respectively.
The replay of last week’s Florida Breeders Stakes elimination shows Palm Beach Boy under restraint and with his nose tight on the helmet of Walter Ross, Jr., who drove the winner, Creating A Dream. Palm Beach Boy, a Six Of Diamonds--Kadijah gelding and homebred of owner Carol A. Karter of Boynton Beach, Florida, has only one win to his credit, but he has never missed a top-three finish in his five career starts.
“On Wednesday morning, Brian took Palm Beach Boy out for himself and he went just a great training trip,” Jay Sears explained. “The way it looks on paper, I think it will be a bit of a drivers’ race with them all looking so even. Brian also trained our three-year-old filly Black Diamond Girl on Wednesday and she’s coming into her final about as well as could be expected to. Since Wally Hennessey helped us all along on Black Diamond Girl, we have to stay with him for this final; Brian understands that, and he’s picking up the drive on Diamond Chip for us in that race and Sandy C in the two-year-old filly pace anyway.”
Still, there’s no denying that the two-year-old event for male pacers stands to the evening’s marquee match-up.
“Full Of Sand, Creating A Dream and even Diamond Star are really nice colts that might have only a slight edge in experience on us,” Jay observed. “They all have nine or more starts and Palm Beach Boy only has five coming into this. After last week’s elimination, Brian came off the bike and said, ‘Dad, I’ve got him ready.' That was all I needed to hear and like everyone I’m looking forward to a great, great race.”
The Saturday weather forecast is for clear skies and 79 degrees in the area. First-race post time is 7:05 p.m. (EST) on Saturday evening. A non-wagering race will be staged at 6:45 p.m. with a purse of $61,913 going on the line for the five-horse field in the FSBOA three-year-old colt and gelding pace Florida Breeders Stake championship, which will be headlined by Diamond Howard.
(Pompano Park)