Just A Bee headlines Pompano Park's top pace for mares on Tuesday night, along with a $7,500 guaranteed fourth race Pentafecta pool and a lucrative carryover in the track's Super Hi-5 finale.
Just A Bee, trained by Mike Micallef for owners John McGoff, Greg Heath and Anita Micallef, comes into the action as the richest performer in the field, with $263,971 in career earnings – $142,755 of that since that consortium of owners claimed the then-six-year-old daughter of Mr Feelgood in a $12,000 claiming handicap event at Hoosier Park last September. Since then, she has won 17 times – 13 of those victories this season to go along with a mark of 1:50.3.
Driver-trainer Micallef has high praise for his stable star saying, "she's one of the handiest horses I have ever had the pleasure of driving. Whatever I ask of her, she's ready to do. Doesn't matter if she's on or off the pace. She's just an amazing mare. We love her!"
Though she has been made the 6-5 morning line favourite – arch-rival Godiva Seelster is out this week – Just A Bee has some stout competition in the form of Winbak Heavenly, Im Gracies Wigwam, Dreas Good Powow, Artful Impulse and Jets Are On..
Winbak Heavenly, from the hot stable of Mike Deters, cut some furious fractions in her last mile before finishing a disappointing seventh. Nonetheless, the five-year-old daughter of American Ideal owned by Barbara Jensen could provide serious competition with a ‘garden’ journey. Aaron Byron is down to drive as the 5-2 second choice.
With a carryover in the fourth race Pentafecta from Sunday night, Tuesday's Pentafecta is guaranteed to have a pool of at least $7,500.
The Pentafecta asks bettors to select the first five finishers in order with 100 per cent of the net pool equally distributed to all winners with a carryover only in the event that no winning ticket has the first five in the official order of finish.
The Super Hi-5 finale has a carryover of over $2,300 going into Tuesday night's 12-race program. The wager also requires the selection of the first five finishers in official order, but there must be a unique ticket holder to claim the entire pool. Otherwise, 50 per cent of the next pool is distributed equally to all winners with the remaining half going into the next racing night's pool.
Pompano Park's Super Hi-5 wager has seen unique ticket holders win on two occasions through the first nine programs with the payouts being $6,299.48 and $11,355.96, respectively.
Both the Pentafecta and Super Hi-5 are 20 cent based wagers.
Post time for the Tuesday program is 7:30 p.m.
(Pompano Park)