by Steve Wolf, Director of Marketing, Pompano Park

Pompano Beach, FL — Remember Kate broke the world record for double-gaited mares on Monday at Pompano Park Harness Track in winning the second race $2,800 trot by five open lengths.

Lap Time Photo – Mary Scott

Remember Kate and driver Bruce Ranger score a world record for double gaited mares.

Her combined marks of 1:57² on the trot and 1:53² on the pace total 3:50⁴, surpassing the previous world record of the mare, Belspri (3:52³), set in 2001. Her time was just one second from the all-age world record held by Noble Gill (3:49⁴) in 2002.

Driven by Bruce Ranger, Remember Kate ($3.00, $2.40, $2.10) took the lead away from Maia Maia ($3.40, $2.20) after the opening quarter mile in :29 and then trotted away from the field with fractions of :59 and 1:27² before scoring her first victory ever as a trotter. Cherry Tree Luke ($2.60) was third.

Trained by Jake Huff and co-owned by his wife, Rosalia, Ron Huff, Marcia Gingold and Eugene Kirzrok of Deerfield Beach, Florida, Remember Kate was a pacer until early December when Jake Huff switched her over to the trotting gate. As a pacer Remember Kate was a stakes winner with earnings of $99,428 and took her 1:53² record at Pompano Park in 2002. She is a six-year-old mare sired by Largo.

“I was more surprised last week when she finished second by a nose,” Jake Huff said. “That was only her second lifetime start on the trot so I told Bruce Ranger that if she (Remember Kate) was trotting good tonight to let her go and see if she could break the record. I never thought she would trot that fast tonight.

“I had turned her out for a little while in November because she was ill,” Huff said. “When I brought her back in December I jogged her without hopples and she would not pace, would not run, only trotted. When it was time to train her I figured I would push her on the trot and see if she would break or go back on the pace. She really surprised me by trotting right along and then kicked in a 1:01 last half and a :30 last quarter mile. That was enough for me to qualify her on the trot.

“I think that after tonight’s performance that she might have the ability to become the fastest double gaited horse of all time,” Huff said. “She really trotted away from the field tonight. I thought she might go in 1:58 and a piece but 1:57² was more than I thought she could trot.”

In the ninth race $9,500 Mares Open Handicap Pace, S F Misty ($5.00) and driver Kevin Wallis just nipped world record holder Kadijah (Wally Hennessey) by a head in the final strides to the wire to win in 1:54². Jenelle Mindale (Richard Macomber, Jr.) was third.

It was the second win in four starts this year for S F Misty, a four-year-old mare by Turbo, who is trained by Linda Wallis for owner Paul Ministrelli of Brighton, Michigan.

There were two divisions of the opening round of the $60,000 11th annual Artsplace Pacing Series for three and four-year-olds.

The $6,500 fourth race first division belonged to ICU Jessie and driver Kevin Wallis as they shot to the lead from post six and never looked back. The 1-5 favorite held the field at bay the entire mile race, winning in a romp by five and one-quarter lengths in 1:54 for owners Diane Norris and Clifford Grundy of Howell, Michigan. A four-year-old gelding by Camluck, ICU Jessie is trained by Gordon Norris.

Wallis, who ended the night winning six of the 11 races on the program, captured both divisions of the Artsplace Pacing Series with Electric’s A Flyin in the sixth race.

Leaving from post seven, Wallis had Electric’s A Flyin on the lead by the opening quarter in :27² with War Room (George Napolitano, Jr.) right on his back. Electric’s A Flyin then cut the mile to the half in :56³ and the three-quarters in 1:24³ before kicking in another gear to win by one and three-quarter lengths in 1:52². War Room was second with It’s The Paper Boy (Bruce Ranger) third.

It was a lifetime mark for Electric’s A Flyin, a four-year-old gelding by Electric Yankee, who is owned by Ed Hauck, Jr. of Pompano Beach, Florida and is trained by Brian Hauck. It was Electric’s A Flyin first start on the new year.