With Wally Hennessey's 8,000th lifetime winning drive now out of the way, the milestone watchers at Pompano Park are turning their attention to Joe Pavia Jr.
The 51-year-old horseman hailing from Utica, New York will soon be joining the 5,000 lifetime win club in the bike, and he's now within a dozen after a thrilling Mares Open Handicap Pace on the Monday evening, February 20 program in South Florida. Billie Bluechip, a former Pennsylvania Sires Stakes champion also trained by Pavia, was well meant in the fourth start of her six-year-old campaign as she was sent to the top in :26.4 and :55.1. In the final half, Billie Bluechip was joined for a toe-to-toe battle with Nillabomb, driven by Hennessey, to the final turn in 1:23.4 before finally prevailing in 1:53. Best Around, last week's winner in the Monday evening feature, followed in next for Jason Dillander for the show spot.
Billie Bluechip, by Western Hanover out of Molly Can Do It, is now a 23-time career winner of over $544,000. Ownership is shared by Dijo Stable and Michael Rich of Florida along with Steven Held of Miller Place, New York. In addition to the approaching wins milestone, Pavia is also poised to surpass $32 million in career purse earnings in the driver's seat. Just where Pavia will join the 5,000 win club is open to speculation as he'll be shipping his stable to his northern base at Pocono Downs within a month.
In Mares Open II Handicap Pace on the Monday evening program, Dovetail made a snap move out of third at the quarter to the lead and driver Fern Paquet Jr. made it stand up to the wire in 1:54.1. It was the third start in the care of trainer Jamie Paquet since being claimed by Tom St. Dennis of Hinsdale, New Hampshire for the five-year-old daughter of Dragon Again and Western Dove. C R Hope, partnered by Ricky Macomber Jr., was a hard closing second and Virtual Princess, driven by Dillander, was third.
(Pompano Park)