It's way too soon to declare a winner or even a favorite in the trainers' dash wins and cash earnings categories with six weeks to go
in the 2009-2010 South Florida campaign at the Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park.
No less than six trainers are in the hunt in the wins category. Dan Hennessey harnessed up his 48th winner of the current campaign at the Winter Capital Of Harness Racing on the Wednesday, April 7 program as class dropping trotter Blake Island romped home in front end fashion in 1:58.2. The six year old Wewering-Red Photo gelding had Dan's younger brother Wally in the bike for owner John Campagnuolo of Loxahatchee, FL.
Dan Hennessey, originally from Charlottetown, PEI, thus leads his closest competitors for the trainers' dash wins title by eleven wins or more. Paul Holzman is next at 37 winners for the meet, followed closely by Mike Deters, Fred Cohen, Michile Lorenzo, Kim Sears and Peter Blood.
The cash earnings title for trainers at the Isle this campaign has three main contenders at the top. On the strength of her extensive success last Fall in the Florida Breeders events, Kim Sears is still leading at just under $300,000 for the season. That lead is less than $8,000 more than Dan Hennessey and about $20,000 more than Mike Deters. Deters, however, still stands a chance to make up the deficit since his top class trotter Baseball Express has been prospering of late and will go to the gate as the favorite again this weekend in the $15,000 Open Handicap event.
On The Wallis Watch: Nine To Go
On the strength of a pair of wins on the mid-week program, 53-year-old driver Kevin Wallis is just nine lifetime wins away from the 9,000 plateau.
His April 7 winners in South Florida included claiming pacer Howies Heart (1:56.2) and claiming trotter Ranger One (1:59.4). Both of the mid-week winners reined in by Wallis were in his trademark dominating front end style. He just missed a hat trick on the program when his claiming pacer Doll R General was caught in the closing strides by the pocket-sitter Stylish Glory in rein to John Fillipelli.
Wallis, a past inductee into the Florida Hall Of Fame, has six drives scheduled on the Friday evening, April 9 program at Pompano.
(Isle Pompano Park)