by Frank Salive, publicity director, Isle Pompano Park
Pompano Beach, FL — It’s no easy feat to make it to the top of the trainer’s standings in the win percentage category during the height of the season at the Winter Capital of Harness Racing but Chris Marino has made it.
With a full range of well classified and competitive starters, almost a third of the trotters and pacers from the Chris Marino barn on the Pompano backstretch are returning for winner’s photograph sessions. In the early weeks of December the Marino barn has been winning at a rate approaching 40 percent.
Skip Smith photo
A common sight lately at Pompano Park: driver Ed Hensley (left), owner Robert Weinstein (center) and trainer Chris Marino (right) posing with big smiles in the Pompano winner’s circle.
The 48-year-old well travelled conditioner hailing from Staten Island, New York, is wrapping up a 2011 season in which he campaigned Big Key Storm in the sport’s elite 3-year-old colt trot division. In recent years, the ill-fated charismatic pacer By A Length had a lengthy tenure in the Marino Stable. For his career he’s harnessed up more than 1,100 winners for almost $13 million in purses.
The Wednesday evening (Dec. 14) program in South Florida produced a mix bag of results for the Marino contingent.
Trotting mare Mymomsablizzard was forced into a tough trip scneario in the $12,000 Open Handicap Trot for the final five-eighths of the mile against eventual winner Keystone Thomas. The mare recently equalled her life’s mark of 1:54.3 and missed tying a Pompano track record by just one-fifth of a second. In this first start in the track’s top trotting class, after a long first over battle into the stretch she finished sixth in the mile timed in 1:55 by Keystone Thomas with Bruce Ranger in the bike.
The 3-year-old claiming pacer Running Ron suffered an equipment break in his first start back since the end of August for the Marino outfit.
The fortunes were much better for 3-year-old claiming pacing filly I’m A Scooter from the care of Chris Marino as she returned a winner in 1:56.4 with Jason Dillander in the bike for owner Michael Casalino.
By the time his evening’s activity was completed, Marino’s slate for the meet stands at 21 wins from 66 starters to date for purses approaching $90,000. His top earning stable member, Sfumato, has been ordered to the outside post eight in the Open Handicap Pace when racing resumes on Saturday evening (Dec. 17).
Joe Pavia, Jr., a Pompano mainstay for two decades who has returned from Pocono Downs with a 30 horse string for the 2011-12 campaign, racked up three training wins and four victories in the bike on the mid-week program.
From his own stable, Pavia teamed class trotters Pembrook Street, Carscot Nexus and Senator Hall to victory in addition to partnering 3-year-old claiming pacer Pams Legacy home first for owner-trainer Geoff Howles.