by John Berry, for Pompano Park

Pompano Beach, FL — February Madness continued at Pompano Park on Sunday night (Feb. 19) as the fourth quarter of the Italian-American amateur competition was contested and it was Italy that captured the crown with an 87-81 victory over the American team consisting of members of the Florida Amateur Driving Club.

Skip Smith photo

Italy’s Ciro Ciccarelli sealed Italy’s win over the U.S. with his victory back of Y S Joe on Sunday night.

The win was sealed when Italy’s Ciro Ciccarelli earned a hard-fought win measuring a half-length with Y S Joe in 1:55.3 over Stronski, handled by yet another Italian visitor, Antonio Simioli. A Fool For Mark, driven by Shane Arsenault, was third, just another nose back, after a valiant effort carving out early panels of :28.2 and :56.3 before being encountered by Y S Joe around turn three, reached in 1:25.4.

A Fool For Mark cut the corner turning for home to reclaim a short lead, but Y S Joe, parked every step of the route, was ultra-game in forging by and holding off the late surging Stronki.

Orlando’s Express, with Billy Muggleston in the bike, was fourth, 1-3/4 lengths away, while College Major and Joe Pennacchio teamed up to claim the nickel in the octet.

In a post-race interview Ciccarelli, through an interpreter, lamented, “This was the thrill of a lifetime for me. I have never driven a pacer before and they are very fast — faster than I have ever been before. This horse was outside the whole way and was very strong to the finish despite this.

“This was a great experience for all of us from Italy and I want to thank Mr. Dein Spriggs and Mr. Joe Pennacchio for being such great hosts for us all.”

Ciccarelli led the Italian contingent with 29 points while Simioli had 28 for the winning team.

While there were only four drivers from Italy competing, the U.S. team had 16 drivers from their Florida Amateur Driving Club on their roster with Dein Spriggs and Gary Barbere sharing top honors with 13 points each.

Y S Joe, a chestnut 5-year-old horse by Mach Three trained by Fannie Saul-Beaulieu for owner Michel Daneault of Quebec, earned his first win of the year in seven starts. As the 6-5 toteboard favorite, Y S Joe paid $4.60 to win.

Pompano Park’s $12,000 Open Handicap Pace went in a mild upset to Drachan Hanover, driven by John MacDonald.

This 5-year-old son of Jereme’s Jet used his rail post to perfection by carding front end panels of :26.1, :54.4 and 1:22.3 before a :27.4 finale held off the late furious rally by Rocky’s Z Tam, handled by Ricky Macomber Jr., by a neck in 1:50.2. First Of Itskind, with Tom Jackson in the bike, closed fastest of all — :27.2 — to finish third, two lengths away, while Mystic Desire finished fourth. The 3-5 toteboard favorite, Panocchio, made a mild bid on the backstretch but could only manage to pick up the minor award in the septet of classy pacers.

After the race, MacDonald related, “He (Drachan Hanover) raced well last week after missing one and I thought he’d be tighter tonight so I sent him and let him do his thing. He’s won before on the front end, so this mile didn’t surprise me. He beat a very classy field.”

Trained by Marcel Barrieau for Lloyd Maclean and Kenneth Rankin, Drachan Hanover won for the initial time this semester and 13th win lifetime in 56 starts, vaulting his earnings to $353,457. As the third choice at 4-1, Drachan Hanover paid $10.80 to win.

The $10,000 Open 2 Pace went to the 4-5 favorite Uncmprmising Z Tam, driven by Mike Simons, in a lifetime best performance of 1:50.2 — his previous winning 1:50.2 mile being over the larger seven-eighths-mile oval at Hoosier Park.

The 4-year-old son of Shadyshark Hanover made a quarter move (:27.1) to the top and went on to post subsequent fractions of :54.4 and 1:22.1 before sprinting home untouched by two lengths over Fritzie Pic Up Man, handled by Kevin Wallis. King Of The Crop, with Dave Ingraham in the bike, rallied from last to finish third, 3-1/4 lengths back, while Pointsman and Heart Felt picked up the final two awards in this septet.

Trained by Jamie Macomber for the Z Tam Stables, Uncmprmising Z Tam now sports a 3-2-0 scorecard in six starts this year, good for $18,975. The win — the 10th in only 36 career starts — vaulted him over the $250,000 mark in bounty — $251,163 to be precise. He paid $3.80 to win to his multitude of backers.

Racing continues on Monday night with post time set for 7:20 p.m.