by Michael Costanzo, Public Relations Coordinator, Isle Pompano Park

Pompano Beach, FL — On the biggest stage in Florida harness racing Load The Dice put on a show for the ages winning the $157,500 final of the ninth annual Isle of Capri Pacing Series in 1:49.3 at Pompano Park Saturday to become the fastest horse in the 43-year history of the Pompano Beach oval.

Driven from post five by Bruce Ranger, Load The Dice found a spot on the rail in second-place while Maltese Artist (Brett Miller) showed a burst of early speed to make the lead and cruise through a brisk opening quarter mile in :26.1.

Lap Time Photo – Skip Smith

Load The Dice and driver Bruce Ranger check out the teletimer as they win the $157,500 final of the ninth annual Isle of Capri Pacing Series. It was the all-age track record and fastest mile ever in the 43-year history of Pompano Park Saturday in 1:49.3.

As the field straightened out for its first trip by the grandstand, Ranger tipped Load The Dice off the pylons and with a rush the gelding moved to the front, a position he would not relinquish.

“He’s just a terrific horse,” Ranger said. “The biggest job is to keep him out of traffic, and that went well. I just went along for the ride.”

Load The Dice moved by the half-mile marker in :54.4 and was unchallenged through a three-quarters split in 1:22.4.

He Wants It All (Wally Hennessey), the two-time defending Isle Final winner, began to move up first over as the field moved down the backstretch, but was unable to sustain his bid and weakened entering the final turn.

With He Wants It All out of the picture and the pocket-sitting Maltese Artist unable to keep up with the leader, Load The Dice rocketed off the final turn with a 3 1/2-length lead, and the only battled that remained was with the teletimer.

Load The Dice continued to open his lead through the stretch, crossing the wire 6 ¾ lengths in front while eclipsing the all-age track record by one-fifth of a second. Maltese Artist finished second while JK Big Shot (Anthony Napolitano) closed to finish third.

The winning margin was the largest in the nine-year history of the race.

“He’s been good all winter,” co-owner Bob Feldman of the Sheffield Stable said. “When we bought him at the sale ($155,000 – Tattersalls 2006 January Select Mixed Sale) we thought we were getting a pretty nice colt. We aimed him for this race and it couldn’t have turned out any better.”

Load The Dice returned $2.60, $2.10 for the victory while Maltese Artist paid $3.60 for second. There was no show wagering available on the race.

Completing the order of finish for the Isle of Capri Pacing Series Final was He Wants It All, Welu’s Dreamboat, Star Role, Doctor Viagra, Weekend Bernie, and Shattered Halo.

Load The Dice is a 5-year-old son of Cam’s Card Shark, out of the Life Sign mare Under Your Spell. The gelding is owned by the Engel Stable LLC and D.R. Van Witzenburg of Illinois, and Sheffield Stable of Pennsylvania. With Saturday’s Isle Final victory, Load The Dice surpassed $500,000 in career earnings.

While campaigning at Pompano Park, Load The Dice was conditioned by Michile Lorenzo for regular trainer John Mc Dermott.

The previous all-age pacing record at Pompano Park of 1:49.4 was co-held by Parson’s Den, who set the standard when winning the inaugural Isle of Capri Pace Final in 1999, and He Wants It All, who equaled the mark in the opening leg of the 2006 Isle Series.

Tweedle Dum sweeps Mack Lobell Series

World record holder Tweedle Dum continued his Pompano Park supremacy on Saturday, winning the $77,800 Mack Lobell Trotting Series Final in 1:55.1 to sweep the three-race series.

Driven from post six by Walter Ross, Jr., Tweedle Dum was parked in second-place through an opening quarter-mile in :27.2 while Dink Adoo (Wally Hennessey) trotted aggressively to the front and was reluctant to yield the top spot.

“We knew they were going to try and go at us early,” Ross said. “It’s horse racing, that’s what they’re supposed to do. We we’re just hoping that he would overcome it”.

As the field moved by the grandstand for the first time, Tweedle Dum assumed control and began to slow things down, moving by the half-mile pole in :56.1 after catching a second-panel breather in :28.4. Dink Adoo trotted in second while Battleshoe Victor (Brett Miller) tracked that pair from third.

After passing the three-quarters marker in 1:26, Tweedle Dum opened up a clear lead on his rivals, and at the top of the stretch the gelding was three-lengths in front.

“Once he gets going, you’re not shutting him down,” Ross said. “You just have to go with him.”

Battleshoe Victor would make a late move on the outside but was never seriously threatening Tweedle Dum, who would cross the wire 1½ lengths in front for the victory. It was another six lengths back to Dink Adoo who finished third.

Tweedle Dum returned $3.00, $2.40 while Battleshoe Victor paid $5.40 for second. There was no show wagering available on the race.

Completing the order of finish for the Mack Lobell Trotting Series Final was the lone mare in the field Victor’s Pursuit, Lf Sharp Score, Guy Gets Girl, and Muscular.

“It is remarkable,” winning trainer Gordon Norris said. “I’ve been training horses all my life, and you always lose a shoe, or something goes wrong. This horse has done it all these times without anything like that.”

“I mean, the law of averages is supposed to get you every once and a while,” Norris continued. “But week after week, he’s always there, and he just loves to win.”

Owned by Diane Norris and Alfred Brotter of Pompano Beach, Tweedle Dum has won 24 of his last 28 starts. With Saturday’s victory, the 7-year-old son of Star Challenge pushed his career earnings over $280,000.

“I’ve got a good team,” Brotter said from the winner’s circle. “Walter (Ross) and Tweedle Dum, they’re like soul mates. Tweedle Dum has a mind of his own, and you have to negotiate with him. Walter is the best negotiator for that horse.”

In 2006 Tweedle Dum set a Pompano Park track record with 21 victories on the season. Earlier this year in the $15,000 Mack Lobell Preview, the gelding equaled the world record for older geldings on a five-eighths mile track when trotting the mile in 1:53.2 at Pompano.

Lover Boy Le Ru tops Red Bow Tie

In just his second start off a three-month layoff, Lover Boy Le Ru prevailed in the fifth-annual $50,000 Red Bow Tie Invitational for Florida-bred pacers in a lifetime best 1:52.3 on Saturday.

Driven from post six by Joe Pavia Jr., Lover Boy Le Ru led at every call, taking the field through fractions of :27.2, :55.3, and 1:23.2 en route to a half-length victory over Rare Glory (Anthony Napolitano) and race favorite Paper Exchange (Bruce Ranger).

“He was bought about three months ago with this race in mind,” Pavia said. “He was turned out for a month and when we brought him back he qualified well, but he had a little mucus and was sick.”

“We weren’t sure we were going to make the race,” Pavia continued. “But we got lucky and he really raced well.”

Lover Boy Le Ru returned $7.80, $5.20, $3.60. Rare Glory brought in $5.20, $3.60 for second, while Paper Exchange paid $3.00 for third.

Owned by Irwin Lubar, Jeffrey Hess, and BJR Stables of Florida, and trained by Gerry Nelson, Lover Boy Le Ru improved his career record to 10 wins from 32 starts with $105,453 in earnings.