by Frank Salive, publicity director, Isle Pompano Park

Pompano Beach, FL — The tote board said it was a 13-1 upset but owner-trainer Jim Mattison wasn’t surprised that his new stable leader Bryan’s Ideal won the $14,000 pacing mares weekly feature on Tuesday (April 5) at The Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park.

“We’ve had her at the top of her game for close to a month now,” Mattison said in a live post-race trackside TV interview. “Two starts ago on March 22 she was so locked in that she got a pylon violation in the stretch. Tonight she proved us right by stepping up and winning in the top class.”

Lap Time Photo — Skip Smith

Bryan’s Ideal made the most of a perfect second over trip to capture the $14,000 mares weekly pacing feature.

Nillabomb, in rein to Mike Micallef, cut the fractions of :28.1, :57.4 and 1:25.4. After she fended off the first over bid of Pinnacle Portia and driver Chuck Connor, Jr., Bryan’s Ideal was in perfect position to score from second over with Dan Clements in tow and won in 1:54.2. The win pushed her career bankroll to $100,056. The 5-year-old daughter of Western Ideal-Diamond Mil is co-owned by Emile Johnson, Jr.

“It was a timely win for a couple of reasons,” Mattison explained. “I’m celebrating my 20th year racing here at Pompano, in addition to the 30 years I’ve raced seasonally up at Saratoga. Plus, it’s great that Bryan’s Ideal is stepping up to lead our stable. We hope she can take the place of Hypnotize that we paid $31,000 for and she went on to make us about $108,000. We had to retire Hypnotize because of a sesamoid injury and she’s now a broodmare. Last fall at Harrisburg we gave $25,000 for Bryan’s Ideal in the hope she can replace Hypnotize, and so far, so good.”

Just two races later the Mattison-Clements tandem scored again in almost duplicate fashion in an $8,000 conditioned test for pacing mares. Artificial Flowers, a 4-year-old mare by Four Starzz Shark-Little Black Dress, earned a life’s mark of 1:54.1 also from a second over trip.

On Wednesday evening (April 6), Corleone Kosmos will headline the program in the $14,000 weekly top trot. The 2008 Breeders Crown champion and career winner of almost $2 million is making his 2011 season’s debut and trainer Tom Haughton will be in the bike.

Post time is 7:05 p.m. (EDT) with free live streaming and replays available in the ‘racing’ tab at www.theislepompanopark.com.