An equipment change on Tuesday evening tipped off a strong return to form for the richest older mare at the meet at Pompano Park
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With an announced change of the blinkers removed, Im Just Special was a flawless front-end winner in the $14,000 purse top weekly class for pacing mares in 1:51.1 with George Napolitano, Jr. in the bike.
"Back on February 8, two weeks ago, it looked to me like she didn't see the one (Best Around) that stepped out and caught her on the wire," said trainer Peter Pellegrino. "Tonight, I removed the blinkers and she was really on her toes. She just missed her life's mark by a tick and she got that (1:51 record) on the big track at Mohawk. It's still a few months out there, but maybe she can race with the best mares again this year in her six-year-old season.”
"I was bound and determined tonight that Im Just Special wouldn't be caught again by Best Around," added owner Ted Colby. "Best Around has made a great run up the ranks but she was a $7,000 claimer last Fall. Im Just Special more than held her own in the Gold Series of the Ontario Sires Stakes and also raced great against the Grand Circuit fillies so she should be the class of these mares almost every time out."
Best Around, with Jason Dillander in the bike was well back in second and C R Hope in rein to Ricky Macomber took the show position. It was the 23rd career win for Im Just Special, and the bankroll for the Camluck-Ladys Special Girl miss now stands at $606,886. The trainer/driver combo of Peter Pellegrino and George Napolitano, Jr. doubled up in the $10,000 purse pacing mares undercard feature as Honorary Hanover stepped to a life's mark of 1:51.2 for Baron Stable of Horsham, PA.
Team Allard At Pompano
One of the continent's most formidable trainer/driver combinations in 2011 - Rene Allard and Simon Allard - are on a short Florida vacation from the Woodbine/Mohawk circuit in Ontario. They attended the Tuesday evening card at Pompano Park.
Simon is slated for two drives on the Wednesday evening program, in the 6th and 11th races, pending the expected formality of obtaining his Florida license. The 28-year-old reinsman amassed his best career year to date in 2010 with 468 wins for purse earnings topping $3.7 million.
"I'm really looking forward to seeing what it's like to be out on the track in the warmth here at Pompano and I'm really thankful to (trainers) Marc Major and Rheau Viau and the race office for giving me this chance," said Simon Allard. "It'll be a really nice break for me, I almost froze out there when I last drove at Woodbine on Monday night. Tuesday I understand it was a record of 87 degrees (30 C) in Fort Lauderdale and it was a great first full day in Florida."
"After checking things out I'll definitely have to consider sending some down for a satellite stable here," said Rene Allard. "Back in Ontario things are going great. Right now I have a 55-horse stable and I'm aiming for a third straight year of stable earnings of at least $2 million. Sometimes, it would be great to go the barn in the morning with it 70 degrees (21 C) and I'm sure I could find an excuse to come down and train some myself here too.”
Simon Allard's drives on the Wednesday evening program are with Docs All Class (post 3, 6th race) and with Trueland Hanover (post 5, 11th race).
(Pompano Park)