by Frank Salive, publicity director, Isle Pompano Park

Pompano Beach, FL — Trainer Mark Friedman admitted he had a good feeling about the prospects for his 2-year-old trotter Lugar going into the $32,814 Florida Stallion Stake on the Monday evening (Nov. 15) program at The Isle Casino-Racing Pompano Park.

Lap Time Photo – Skip Smith

Lugar, driven by Doug Brown, stepped to a life’s mark of 1:58.3 in the Florida Stallion Stake on Monday evening.

“Things went a little better than I expected,” Friedman proclaimed after the Famously-Chili Vanili freshman gelding captured a life’s mark of 1:58.3 in the Florida Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association Fall Series event. “I told (driver) Doug Brown all we really needed to win was one mistake by the other two top horses in there and this time everything went our way.”

Prairie Big John with Tom Sells in the bike was eagerly away as usual to put up the early fractions of :28.3 and :58.4. However, his continuing reluctance to be rated saw him abruptly give way to the pocket sitting favorite, Famous Hall with Wally Hennessey in the bike, well before the three-quarter call of 1:28.4.

Lugar took advantage of the situation and bravened up on the back of Famous Hall and tipped out in the stretch. Famous Hall, who established a track record of 1:57.4 on Oct. 29, was coming off a sickness scratch and made a late stretch break leaving the victory to Lugar. Famous Hall survived an inquiry to hold second while Prairie Big John was far back in third.

Friedman has Lugar competing for the ownership of his Polo Stables. He campaigned former FSBOA filly pace champion Bling at Pompano in 2008 and 2009.

“We sold Bling in March of this year and she’s racing at Yonkers now, but the pattern is the same for Lugar,” Friedman explains. “I campaigned the dam of Bling and I also raced Chili Vanili, the dam of Lugar. In fact Lugar is her first foal and I’m just ecstatic to see him get a 2-year-old record under 2:00. I’ve got two more entered in the Florida Stallion Stakes later this week and we haven’t had a big win like this since Bling was sold and went up north.”

Longshot winner amazes Pompano crowd

When a field of claiming pacers turned to the starting gate on Monday it was obvious the overwhelming majority thought Watch My Wake had little or no chance.

Lap Time Photo – Skip Smith

Watch My Wake was a gate-to-wire winner at 165-1 for driver, trainer and owner Joe Sanzeri.

Precisely 1:55.1 later Watch My Wake proved that majority wrong by delivering a flawless front end win at the jaw dropping odds of 165-1. Joe Sanzeri owns, trains and drives Watch My Wake. It was the first winning drive for Sanzeri in ten starts since the 2010-2011 meet began on Oct. 16.

“It may not be the highest priced longshot winner in the 47 year history of live harness racing here, but it must surely rank rank right up there as one of our track’s biggest upsets,” says John Yinger, Director Of Racing Operations. “Except for the race favorite Xerxes who made an characteristic and unexpected bad step and break in stride, that field looked pretty evenly matched. It brought back to mind that seven word saying — anything can happen in a horse race.”

Watch My Wake, a 7-year-old Western Hanover-Bikini Line gelding, returned an astonishing $333.60 for a $2 win ticket and over $72 to place. The trifecta paid on 6-9-all for $9,076 and a $2 superfecta ticket on 6-9-3-all would have paid $68,190.

Though they were not boxcar upsets in the order of Watch My Wake, the Monday evening Pick-4 wager also had a pair of upset winners including claiming pacer Lavern’s Art and claiming trotter Dubois Of France. Since there were no winners on the Nov. 15 program there’s a carryover of $1,485 to accompany the Pick-4 guaranteed pool of $2,500 offered each Wednesday evening.

When racing resumes on Wednesday evening, Nov. 17, the FSBOA’s Florida Stallion Stake for 2-year-old filly trotters carries a purse of $33,564 in the third race. For this week only, there is no live Friday evening program but that race card is moved forward to Thursday, Nov. 18.