The featured exotics all went uncovered on Saturday evening (Feb. 27) at the Isle Casino Pompano Park, resulting in a trio of carryovers into the Sunday night card.
The 50-cent Pick 5 covers races one through five and will offer a $1,355 carryover, while the fourth race pentafecta features a carryover of $1,779. The Sunday evening Pick 4 will have a $3,484 carryover, with track officials placing an ‘instant guarantee’ of $25,000 on the total pool. The Pick 4 covers races six through nine, offers a minimum of 50 cents, and a reduced takeout of only 12 percent.
Live racing continues at the Isle Casino Pompano Park on a five-night per week schedule, with a first post of 7:30 p.m. every Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evening.
Just A Bee Overlooked In Series Action
Just A Bee, with regular pilot Mike Micallef handling the lines, swept up from far back to post a 17-1 upset victory in the $15,000 third leg of the Isle Casino Pompano Park Late Closer for mares on Saturday night, February 27, with the mile clocked in 1:52.2.
The eight-year-old daughter of Mr Feelgood, trained by Micallef for owners Anita Micallef, John Mc Goff and Greg Heath, took advantage of a sizzling early pace to roll by her competition in the lane and score a three and a quarter length win over Godiva Seelster, with Wally Hennessey driving, while pacesetting Totally Rusty, driven by Tom Jackson, was third after sizzling through panels of :26.1, :54.3 and 1:23.1. Strut My Stuff finished fourth while Pertty Music was fifth in the bulky field of 11.
The 1-5 toteboard favourite, Velocity Vespa, left looking for the top spot, but could never cope with the hot fractions on the outside and finished eighth.
In a post race interview, driver Micallef said, "Sometimes the best laid plans just don't work out. This time, the best laid plans certainly didn't work out, but it all came out in the wash at the end of the mile.
"I had planned to follow George [Napolitano, Jr. with Velocity Vespa], but it seemed like everything inside was leaving, so I had to take back.
"My mare really seemed like she wanted to grab on midway through the mile and, when I saw :54 and a piece, I thought we had a chance to get a good piece of it tonight.
"She was really motoring around the final turn and, the further we got along, the better I felt."
Just A Bee won for the 43rd time career-wise, sending her career earnings just over the $300,000 mark.
Since Micallef claimed the mare in September 0f 2014 for $12,000, she has won 24 times and close to $200,000.
Her mutuel of $36 is the largest since she has been under Micallef's care and comes off of a 3-1 win a week ago in the same class.
(With files from Pompano Park)