Panocchio, Doc Dorleans and Prairie Jaguar will renew their spirited rivalry along with four other worthy opponents when Pompano Park hosts Hippomania II on Saturday night.
The card is further complemented with five separate stakes events in the Melvyn Aylor Memorial, honouring the memory of the Florida breeder, trainer, owner and highly respected veterinarian that tragically lost his life due to an unfortunate accident back in 2009.
Panocchio looks to solidify his supremacy in the Hippomania II event on the strength of four straight victories in the class – the last a lifetime-best 1:50 performance. Bruce Ranger is expected back in the bike behind the grand four-year-old son of No Pan Intended.
About the big event, Ranger said, “He (Panocchio) is such a handy horse to drive – two fingers does it. I’ve sent him (to the front) the past few times because it’s difficult to spot competition of this calibre seven or eight lengths at the start and expect to win. We’ll see what kind of opportunities present themselves when the gate springs on Saturday.”
Duc Dorleans, one of four performers in the field with sub-1:50 marks, gave futile chase in his last effort, pacing his final half in :54.1 to finish second for Donald Dupont.
Trainer-driver Dupont recently said, “’Duc’ does have some gate speed, but he is probably best known for his closing kick. He’s paced a final quarter under :26 on a bigger track. It’s a tough decision on whether to leave or not, especially with a horse like Prairie Jaguar starting with a post inside of ours.”
Speaking of Prairie Jaguar, the Florida-bred son of Spy Hard is the only horse in Pompano Park history to record five victories in 1:50 or faster – his mark being 1:49 on two occasions. Veteran driver Peter Wrenn is expected to be in the sulky for the journey on Saturday evening.
Northern Companion, Rage N Ryan, Audreys Dream and Freeneasy Hanover round out the septet scheduled to go to the post in Race 9 on the 11-race pari-mutuel card.
The Melvyn Aylor Memorial events feature some of Florida’s finest two-year-olds and carry a total of $63,500 in purses.
Of particular interest are two budding rivalries, the first for the two-year-old pacing colts and geldings and the second showcasing the juvenile pacing fillies.
The event for the boys pits Owosso Flash, thus far the leader of the class, against Gold Star Kevin and Caesars Forum.
Owosso Flash is undefeated in three starts at Pompano Park and, in an amazing performance in his last start, took an ‘unscheduled right turn’ early spotting the field some 15 lengths before being ‘righted’ by driver Mike Deters being sent on to score a decisive win in 1:58.1.
Gold Star Roger gave chase in that event and finished a game second while Caesar’s Forum, third in his last two outings to ‘Flash,’ looks to be rounding into top form as the FSBOA stakes season reaches a peak.
The filly event features Gold Star Dynasty and Paxxie locking hooves for the sixth time this stakes season.
Both of these fillies have not been worse than second in their respective careers covering five starts with ‘Dynasty’ holding a three-to-two edge in wins.
That event kicks off the pari-mutuel card and is scheduled as the first half of the early daily double.
Also enhancing the betting card is the introduction of the Super Hi 5, as well as carryovers in both the Pick-5 and Pick-4 pools.
The Super Hi 5 requires the selection of the first five official finishers in order and features the unique aspect that there must be a single winner to take the entire pool. If two or more persons are successful in selecting the ‘Hi-5,’ there would be a 50 per cent pool distribution shared by those persons with the remainder of the pool carried over to the next program or programs until a single winner emerges.
The track’s director of racing, Brett Revington, is excited about the new wager, saying, “Our guests are always looking for new, exciting and potentially lucrative opportunities. After all, the casino is continually freshened up the floor with new, exciting gaming devices and racing needs to take a page from that and freshen up the wagering opportunities to make them appealing to our patrons.
“We are hoping that this produces more interest in our product line and what we have to offer here at Pompano Park.
“The carryovers in both our Pick-5 and Pick-4 events should also bolster interest in the Saturday card, especially the Pick-4 with that friendly 12 per cent takeout.”
Post time remains at 7:30 p.m. for the pari-mutuel program on Saturday night, with four of the Aylor Memorial Stakes raced as non-wagering events beginning at 6:20 p.m.
(Pompano Park)