Even though the spring season is advancing across the continent, a notable contingent of newcomers are turning up to race in April at The Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park
.
Leading the new crew in South Florida on the Saturday evening, April 2 program was 28-year-old horseman Jason Maier of Rio Linda, California. His impact was immediate with his first training start of the year as claiming trotter Little Rooster turned in a big first over effort for a runner-up finish in a 1:59 mile. Maier is also the owner and driver of the seven-year-old gelding, a ship-in from the care of Tim Maier at Cal-Expo.
To date, Jason Maier has compiled 99 lifetime driving wins and 30 career training victories. In that same race, hobby horseman John Hanning of Lewiston, Maine recorded his fourth start of 2011 in South Florida with trotter Jimmy Conway, who has yet to earn a paycheque.
On the Monday evening, April 4 program, Italian-born trainer Sergio Corona sends out an interesting entrant in the first race. Three-year-old colt trotter Permanent Joy will be making his 2011 debut after taking a two-year-old mark of 1:58.4 at Lexington last fall for the Hero Stables of Goshen, New York.
Also on Monday evening at Pompano, 58-year-old trainer Glen Mason of Vernon Center, New York will send out his first starter of 2011 with trotter Rock Me Tender after wintering at Spring Garden Ranch.
Daley Deposit Only Repeats In Top Class
Because of sickness or injury scratches to Sugars Pride, Utah Jack, and Dragons Blood, the field was reduced to four starters for the April 2 top pacing class weekly event in South Florida for a $14,000 purse.
Four Starz Bling was designated by driver Bruce Ranger to set the pace in :27.4, :57, and 1:25.1. In the third quarter, Daley Deposit Only rushed up from fourth and last to duel with Four Starz Bling. Although last week's win was accomplished by skimming the pylons, Daley Deposit Only proved his superiority this time by edging away to stop the clock in 1:52.2. Four Starz Bling held second with Sports Fanatic (Doug Brown) and San Antony O (Dan Clements) following next under the wire.
It was the 29th career win for Daley Deposit Only, orchestrated by Dan Daley for the connections of Ann-Mari Daley, Jared Daley, Richard Lombardo and Robert Pergament. The next paycheque for the six-year-old gelding will push his lifetime earnings past $300,000.
In the $10,000 purse co-feature, Avantage benefitted from a perfectly rated steer off the pace by Tom Sells to score in 1:52.1 over Jerrys Brown Gold (Bruce Ranger) and Card Dealer (Richard Simard). Michel Plouffe trains Avantage, a five-year-old Electric Stena-Eclatante gelding, for owner Elizabeth Zimmerman of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
There were no winners in the Saturday evening Pick-4, so that wager has a carryover of $2,039 into the fifth race on Monday evening.
The week of April 17-24 is a dark week for live racing at The Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park. Post time otherwise is 7:05 p.m. every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday at Pompano Park. Tuesday cards are dropped in June and Monday cards are dropped in final month of the current campaign in July. Race night streaming and replays are available for free in the 'racing' tab at www.theislepompanopark.com.
(Pompano Park)