Both two-year-old trotters, Whosgoinwhosstayin and Pearl Of Capri, overcame a sloppy, rain-soaked track to advance towards a $100,000 bonus at the Isle Pompano Park Harness Track on Wednesday.
Each horse won their respective $14,000 finals of the Florida Sunshine State Stakes on Wednesday to remain eligible for the $100,000 bonus. Whosgoinwhosstayin won the colt division and is undefeated in nine lifetime starts and Pearl Of Capri won her seventh straight race by capturing the filly division. There are four Florida Sire Stakes Finals each horse must win to get the $100,000 bonus.
There were also two $14,000 Finals for three-year-old trotters on Wednesday as Southern Rain won his 12th straight race in the colt and gelding division and Baileysirishdream scored her seventh straight win in the filly final division.
But the most impressive of the four winners was the undefeated Whosgoinwhosstayin, who started the first race Final on Wednesday off-stride!
“He slipped right at the start and went off-stride,” said driver Mickey McNichol. “The track was slick from the rain. But what a rebound he made. What a great horse he is…unbelievable!”
Be Lachek went right to the lead for driver Wally Hennessey with Myakka (Tom Lehmann) in second place while Whosgoinwhosstayin was far back from the leaders, just getting back on stride as the leaders pasted the opening quarter mile in :29.4.
Be Lachek continued to lead the as Whosgoinwhosstayin got back on stride, but was in seventh place trying to catch up to the field. Past the half mile maker in 1:01, McNichol sent Whosgoinwhosstayin to the outside and the son of Basil started to gain ground.
Down the backstretch, Be Lachek held the field at bay, but by the three-quarter pole in 1:31.3, Whosgoinwhosstayin was able to drop into second place behind Be Lachek and then in the stretch, McNichol urged Whosgoinwhosstayin on to victory by one length in 2:01. Be Lacheck was second with Hard Workn Rick (Tom Sells) third.
Whosgoinwhosstayin is trained by Linda Kakaley and co-owned with breeder Sophia Valkanoff of Pompano Park.
Pearl Of Capri left little doubt that she is the top freshman trotting filly in Florida as she took command after the opening quarter mile for driver Dan Clements and steamrolled her way to victory by four and one-half lengths in 2:02.4. Parsley Sprig (Wally Hennessey) was second with Over Drawn (Rick Harp) third.
Veral Bowman trains the daughter of Famously, who was bred and is owned by Frank & Inge Smith of Deerfield Beach.
Southern Rain is now one win away from tying the all-age track record at the Isle Pompano Park for most consecutive wins. That record is held by Youre Next (2006-2007) at 13 straight wins.
Driven by Bruce Ranger, Southern Rain was able to get a perfect two-hole trip behind pacesetter Super Lotto (Wally Hennessey) right to the top of the stretch and then trotted away to a three-length triumph in 1:58.3. Trot Monster (Jay Sears) was third.
Mark Rorabeck of Nutrioso, Arizona owns Southern Rain, a gelded son of Wewering, who is trained by Mike Deters. Southern Rain has now won 15 of 17 lifetime starts.
The biggest margin of victory on the night was scored by Baileysirishdream and trainer/driver Robert Roberts in the three-year-old filly trot final. They sat an early pocket-trip to Famous Valentine (Wally Hennessey) and then brushed to the lead by the opening quarter mile, and never looked back, winning by ten and three-quarter lengths in 1:59.2. Famous Valentine was second with Indigo Swirl (Bruce Ranger) third.
The daughter of Matchem Hanover was bred and is owned by Barbara Bailey of Deleon Springs, and also has an impressive lifetime record of 16 wins in 20 starts.
(Pompano Park)