Bruce Ranger, Michile Lorenzo, Tom Audley and Veral Bowman shared the spotlight at Pompano Park on Saturday as the South Florida track hosted the second leg of the Florida Sunshine Stakes
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Ranger, who won a world record 13 races during last week’s Sunshine Stakes festivities, won eight races on Saturday, including four for trainer Michile Lorenzo and a pair for trainer Tom Audley, who “sandwiched” in a third trainer victory during the marathon 19-race card, as well.
The Ranger-Lorenzo connection reached the winner’s circle with a quartet of pacers—Help Me Howard, Red Hot Howard, Diamond Howard (all two-year-olds) and the three-year-old Storming Howard.
Help Me Howard took her division of the juvenile filly pace in 2:00.1, using a :28.3 final panel to score in wire-to-wire fashion in a new lifetime mark. She’s now a perfect two-for-two lifetime.
Red Hot Howard took his division of the colt/gelding pace in a sharp 1:56.1 — also a new life mark. The gelding is also batting 1.000 in his two lifetime starts.
Diamond Howard grabbed yet another division of that same class and kept his scorecard perfect, as well, scoring in 1:56.4 with a :27.4 final quarter - his second straight trip to the winner’s circle.
The Ranger-Lorenzo grand slam came in the 18th race as Storming Howard, surviving some “hard ball” during the first three-eighths of a mile, went on to score in a lifetime best 1:53.3.
All four winners are by Mannart Howard.
The Ranger-Audley team won with the two-year-old pacing filly Isle Of View Too and the three-year-old side-wheeling filly Goldstar Rosie.
Isle Of View Too, by Macadream, scored an effortless win in 1:58.4 with a :29 final quarter, remaining unbeaten in her three lifetime starts.
Goldstar Rosie regained her championship form of last year with a very sharp 1:55.1 win, highlighted by a last half sprint of :56.4.
Audley also sent out the winner in a division of the juvenile colt pace, Goldstar Patriot D, a son of Macadream. With Louie Ginesi handling the colt’s lines, Goldstar Patriot D was ultra game in scoring a win in 1:55.4, a new lifetime mark.
Ranger also scored with the two-year-old pacing filly Blazing Best and the sophomore trotting filly Pearl Of Capri, both trained by Veral Bowman. Blazing Best grabbed a division of the two-year-old filly pace in 2:04.1 while Pearl Of Capri won her 12th straight race with an effortless 2:02.4 victory. The daughter of Famously is unblemished in her two starts this year.
Veral completed his training hat trick by driving Ill Muscle Yall to victory in a division of the two-year-old colt/gelding trot. The gelded son of Muscle Boss Vita won wire-to-wire in 2:06.4 — his maiden victory.
Mickey McNichol celebrated his 61st birthday with a pair of wins on the matinee. First, in the two-year-old colt/gelding trot, the Joe Kroll-trained Ron Stoppable proved to be unstoppable for McNichol in scoring a decisive win in 2:08.3. It was the gelding’s maiden victory. Next, in the three-year-old colt/gelding trot, Whosgoinwhosstayin survived a miscue at the start and rallied to score for McNichol in 2:00.4, giving him the double.
Bob Roberts also had a driver/trainer double on the card. Roberts won a division of the two-year-old filly trot with Pocohontas Fame and then capped his festivities with Sunshine Scoot in a division of the sophomore filly pace. Sunshine Scoot, incidentally, won for the first time in 14 lifetime starts, scoring a six-and-a-half length romp in 1:57.3.
Veterans were well served on the program, too, as 72-year-old Warren Harp scored with the two-year-old trotting filly Jeanie Marie and 70-year-old Mel Turcotte reached the winner’s circle with the three-year-old trotting gelding Just Bring It On, who was making just his second lifetime start.
The trio of other winners on the program were Evening Attire, who won for Steve Oliwa in a division of the two-year-old filly trot, Thelastcallforhelp, who scored for Dave Ingraham in the three-year-old trot and Im Fine, who closed the day by winning for Hall-of-Famer Wally Hennessey.
(With files from Pompano Park)