from harness publicists across North America

Saturday’s (Jan. 21) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from The Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park and Cal Expo.

Bombs away in Pompano Open Pace

Pompano Beach, FL — The Saturday evening weekly edition of the Open Handicap Pace produced a huge upset as all of the starters with assigned outside post positions failed to hit the board.

Dan Clements had one of the longshots, Red Star Paylater, into full stride quickly to take command at the quarter in :26 seconds before the outside challenge appeared from Rick’s Sign and driver Fern Paquet, Jr. well before the half flashed up in :55 seconds.

Red Star Paylater put away the challenge of Rick’s Sign after a backstretch duel to the final turn in 1:22.4, but lurking in the pocket all the way was 28-1 bomb Kommander Hawk. In the stretch, Anthony Napolitano brought out Kommander Hawk to stop the clock in 1:51.1. Daley Deposit Only, in rein to Dan Daley, closed next best for the place position and Red Star Paylater persisited for third.

Favored Pacinello had a poor start and finished eighth and last, and another top choice, Brave Call, did not make it into the top five finish order in spite of a second over trip.

Kommader Hawk was offered in mid-December for a claiming price of $12,500 and has made it all the way to the top of the heap at Pompano under the care of trainer John McNeil III. The 6-year-old Pro Bono Best-Spinner’s Hawk gelding is owner by Ellen McNeil of Vernon Centre, N.Y.

— Frank Salive

Cal Expo
Luke Plano won the feature with Marlin Hanover, then proceeded later in the card to win six in a row, and seven of the last eight races, thus equaling a personal driving best of eight. Winners Over pacers were featured at Cal Expo on Saturday night for a purse of $4,500, in which Marlin Hanover was victorious. Owned by Richard Morita and David Yamada, the Liberio Pacheco trained pupil held on to win ($10.40) by a neck in 1:54.3. One And Only, also owned by Morita and Yamada and trained by Pacheco, had to settle for the place honors and Amigo De Garcia finished three-quarters of a length farther back in third.