The first race of the Monday evening program at Pompano Park featured three high-priced yearlings making their first lifetime starts but none of them came up a winner in their 2012 and three-year-old season's debut
in the maiden trot event.
Cutting the mile was Occupy Wall Street in rein to Jan Johnson. The Muscles Yankee-My Girl Hall filly was a $35,000 yearling item at Harrisburg in 2010, and she was caught at the wire by double digit longshot Sleigh Bells Ring in rein to Richie Simard. The win time was 2:01 for the four-year-old daughter of Famously-Celebrity Descent trained by Mark Friedman for owner Victoria Friedman of Boca Raton, FL.
Finishing fifth in the same event was Mississippi Beauty with Walter Ross, Jr. behind the three-year-old filly for Willow Oak Ranch of Rogersville, TN. The most anticipated starter in the race, The Aviator, went off stride in his lifetime racing debut and finished eighth. The Aviator is owned by SSG Stables of North Boston, NY and the three-year-old Striking Sahbra-Ten Queens gelding was hammered down for $100,000 as hip 371 in the 2010 Lexington Selected Sale.
The Isle Mile 1 Mares Handicap Pace was the top event on the Monday evening program for an $8,000 purse.
Princessofdarkness, in rein to Pompano's hottest driver of the past two months, Dan Clements, dominated from the front end in 1:53.1 over Eyewitness Account with Wally Hennessey up and Miss Sparta driven by Gaston Lareau. Jim Mattison trains the five-year-old daughter of The Panderosa-Mattintosh for Leola and Gil Pochesci of Leominster, ME and co-owner Vicki Mattison of Pompano Beach. It was the first win of the year in three starts for Princessofdarkness, now a career winner of $149,395.
The current meet concludes on July 28. In April and May post time is 7:15 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at Pompano Park. In June and July, live cards will be held on Wednesday and Saturday evenings.
(Pompano Park)