Muscles For Life, the brilliant seven-year-old son of Muscle Mass, scored a hard-earned 1:54.2 win for Wally Hennessey in Pompano Park’s $11,500 Open Handicap Trot on Monday night (Dec. 21), holding the fast-closing Explosivebreakaway (Tom Jackson) and The Lionking AS (Kevin Wallis) at bay at the line in 1:54.2.
The winning margin was a half length, earning Muscles For Life his third win in four fall starts this semester in South Florida.
Sooo Handsome finished fourth, and Bucketlist Hanover picked up the final award in the field of eight.
Muscles For Life was forced to draw one of the two outside posts in this field, and Hennessey was forced to change strategy as there was plenty of speed off the wings, especially from BJ Lorado, who zipped an opening panel in :26.3 and half in :55.4. The Lionking AS tracked in the garden spot, Sooo Handsome third, and Muscles for Life — who left from post seven — found a spot in fourth around the opening turn.
Around turn two, Hennessey tilted his charge outside and, once they straightened away on the backside, Muscles For Life motored up strongly to take charge past the third station in 1:24.3 with Explosivebreakaway following cover and now looming a length away.
In the lane, Muscles For Life held firm enough in the final stages for the win, his seventh of the year in 17 starts for trainer Steve Oldford, who conditions the trotter for owner Jerold Hawks. The win sent his 2020 earnings to $54,630 and career bankroll to $345,220.
Reflecting on the win, Hennessey said, “We seemed to be going pretty good leaving, so I decided to try and find a spot a bit closer up because I knew it would take too much out of him to press the quick pace. He was nice and relaxed once we found the good spot and, when I asked him, he responded big time. He’s a very impressive racehorse!”
Off as the 6-5 favourite, Muscles For Life paid $4.40.
The $10,000 Open II Trot went to Mighty Surf with Mike Simons in his sulky. The brave six-year-old daughter of Prayer I Am, trained by Jake Huff for the Beauty Bridle Racing Stable, got up in the final stride to nail Burn Notice (Peter Wrenn) right on the line in 1:56.
Keegan Ho (Rick Plano) rallied to be third while the early leader, Kellies MVP, finished fourth. Dragin The Wagon grabbed the nickel in the full field of 10.
For Mighty Surf, it was her fifth win of the year in 27 starts, vaulting her bankroll for 2020 to $44,037 and $240,872 lifetime. Mighty Surf paid $12.20 to win.
Racing continues on Tuesday (Dec. 22) with post time set for 7:20 p.m.
(Pompano Park)