Dein Spriggs has, literally, won the right to represent the Florida Amateur Driving Club (FADC) and the U.S.A. as Pompano Park gets set to host the Isle International Amateur Series on March 12 and 13 at the South Florida five-eighths mile oval.
Spriggs will join Johann Preining Jr. (Austria), Ivan Serik (Russia), Nils Olav Holm (Norway), Andrea Fazekas (Hungary), Enrico Columbo (Italy), Jauma Bassa (Spain), Tapio Hoikka (Finland), Michael Holmer (Denmark), Michael Gutsche (Germany) and Danny Blakemore (New Zealand) in the extravaganza with a trio of races each night featuring 11-horse fields.
Spriggs, who has 412 career driving victories, has been involved in harness racing for some 40 years and enjoyed his best year ever as a driver in 2015, earning a career high $94,480 in purses on the strength of 27 wins in 82 starts and a “batting average” of .469.
He earned the right to represent the Florida Amateur Driving Club during a lengthy competition among its members.
Upon learning of his selection, Spriggs said, “This is one of the greatest honours of my life in this sport, representing our club.
“I am sure the competition will be spirited and the great thing about this is that many charities will benefit as we get to showcase our great sport throughout the world.”
Indeed, the Florida Amateur Driving Club will be donating over $7,000 to charities on behalf of the visiting drivers.
Since their inception, the FADC has donated over $150,000 to worthwhile charities and causes.
Adding spice to the International event is the news that the voice of harness racing, Roger Huston, will be providing the race calls for the two-day extravaganza. Huston, who was Pompano Park’s track announcer from 1967 to 1975, has called races at 134 venues, including tracks in Australia, Canada, Finland, Ireland, Norway, Sweden and Wales.
(Pompano Park)