Sir Mammo, patiently handled by Ricky Macomber, pulled off a 19-1 upset win in Pompano Park's $11,000 Open Handicap Pace on Sunday night (December 17).
The five-year-old gelded son of Sand Shooter used a blistering late charge to edge by the 1-10 favourite, Panocchio, driven by Wally Hennessey, in 1:52.2, in the final two strides of the mile.
Fritzie Pic Up Man, with Mike Simons in his sulky, finished third after a serious bid around the final bend. Sing For Me George, who raced in last place for most of the journey, rallied to finish fourth. Rockntouch finished fifth. Drachan Hanover, who was prominent early, finished last in the six-horse field.
At the outset, both Rockntouch and Drachan were in full flight early, with the former in the lead at the :27.1 opener. Drachan was in the garden spot and Panocchio was third on the outside and on the prowl for the lead.
Three-eighths in, Rockntouch secured the top spot and waltzed over to the half in :55.4. He then repelled the pressurized bid from Fritzie Pic Up Man, who sprinted from fifth half way through to Panocchio's saddle pad. The pair then raced past the third station in 1:24.1.
At that stage, Sir Mammo, was second over and fanned widest of all turning for home. His 27.4 finale allowed him to squeak by Panocchio at the line.
The winner is trained by Jamie Macomber for the La Bella Vita Stables. After the race, Macomber stated, "Well, you never expect to get by a horse of Panocchio's calibre but, tonight, we just got a dream trip. It's a simple as that. I think Sir Mammo likes the smaller sized track here at Pompano. He has raced great in all of his starts here – better than in Indiana over the larger track."
The win was the seventh of Sir Mammo’s 37-start 2017 campaign. The victory vaulted his seasonal bankroll to $61,390. Sir Mammo has banked $145,193 in lifetime earnings to go along with a 1:51 mark that he recorded at Hoosier Park.
(Pompano Park)