It was interesting to watch driver Tom Sells take Baseball Express to the starting gate at The Isle Pompano Park in a $7,000 purse conditioned trot on the Saturday evening doubleheader, and the post race TV interview comments by trainer Mike Deters were just as compelling
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"He's a peculiar horse and often keeps us holding our breath from the time the gate moves until the time it swings away," Deters explained. "Basically, he [Baseball Express] insists on being his own man. If he's on the gate you know you're leaving...three men and a boy in the bike wouldn't be able to duck him into a hole," Deters added.
For all of his quirks, there's no disputing Baseball Express is talented and on his way back up the class ladder. The Conway Hall-Pine Booth gelding won comfortably in 1:57 this time out after capturing seven of 26 starts last year and took a Pompano speed mark of 1:55.3 for owner Kevin Burch of Springboro, Ohio. He's now on a two race win streak and could soon be competing at the top class level in South Florida where he last appeared in late November.
Gale Warning Gets The Photo
The top event of all 16 races contested on the January 2 double card was the $13,000 Open Handicap Trot. After travelling a mile it took the photo finish camera to show Gale Warning, with Tom Sells in the bike, barely edging Andover America and Bruce Ranger right on the money.
The top two finishers were actually back in the pack most of the way. Battleshoe Victor, with Anthony Napolitano in tow, posted the early fractions and held on for third after the ferocious late finishes by Gale Warning coming from second over and Andover America splitting rivals after a following trip.
Gale Warning is trained by Michile Lorenzo for Ciro Gentile and Rod Lorenzo of Boca Raton and Deerfield Beach. The Strong Gale-Lizs Promise gelding, now seven, was laid off for almost seven months last year after a sickness episode in the spring. He still managed to win four of 10 starts in that abbreviated 2009 campaign and his career earnings are now more than $334,000.
Notes From The South
The Saturday evening program was contested under the coolest temperature at 57 degrees (14 C.) since the current meet began last September 19. Jean Beaulieu sent out two winners including Who Dey and Power Park driven by Walt Ross Jr. Top trainer honours on the doubleheader card were shared with Edgar Clarke, who sent out The Big Ticket and Commence Fire to victories - both driven by Kevin Sizer.
Horseman Rick Schaut marked his 54th birthday on the Saturday evening program. The longtime Pompano seasonal competitor split his stable's operations in 2009 between Indiana Downs and Pompano and he's had a great run in Florida this year with Open pacer Mai Tai Guy and trotter Rustico Dance Hall.
Canadian millionaire pacer Our Lucky Killean made his South Florida debut on the Saturday evening program. The past champion of Western Fair's Molson Pace is owned by Mac Nichol of Burlington, Ont. Our Lucky Killean had been a member of the top Canadian stable of Casie Coleman and is now racing at The Isle Pompano Park from the Mike Deters barn. Now nine, the Camluck-Our Emblem gelding finished a closing fourth to Daley Deposit Only in an $8,500 purse conditioned test in his first start in Florida.
Post time is 7:05 p.m. each Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday evening at The Isle Pompano Park. On the January 4 pre-race TV show at 6:35 p.m., trainer-driver Joe Pavia Jr. is the scheduled guest for the track's weekly newsmaker interview segment.
(Pompano Park)