by John Berry, for Pompano Park

Pompano Beach, FL — Trotters highlighted the midweek card at Pompano Park on Wednesday night (March 11) with Nothinbutanallstar taking top honors in the $13,500 Open Handicap but having to share the spotlight with Highland Yankee in the $10,000 Open 2 Trot and the 57-1 outsider Ex King in a $9,400 supporting feature.

Skip Smith photo

Nothinbutanallstar took top honors in Pompano Park’s Open Handicap Trot on Wednesday night.

Nothinbutanallstar, a 4-year-old son of Allstar Hall trained and driver by Mark O’Mara for owner Lester Raber, got a picture perfect journey to score in a lifetime best performance of 1:54.1 to send his lifetime earnings to $205,964. Dukester teamed up with Rick Plano to finish second after desperately searching for room after being shuffled on the backside. Holy Halibut, prominent early, finished third while the favored Bloodstockshalltab finished fourth, closing from last to do so.

It was an action packed mile with Coco Lindy (Wally Hennessey) cutting the first two panels of :26.3 and :56.1 with Winemaster Hanover (Bruce Ranger) on the attack and Nothinbutanallstar following the live cover. Reaching the third station in 1:25, Winemaster Hanover stuck his nose in front with Nothinbutanallstar looming boldly and edging by in deep stretch and holding off the late charging Dukester with Holy Halibut on through between horses to pick up the show honors.

In a post race interview, driver Mark O’Mara kept it “short and sweet,” saying, “Well, short and sweet, we had a very nice trip following live cover. Not much more to the story than that. When I tipped him wide, he responded just as I had hoped he would. He’s quite a racehorse!”

Fourth choice in the betting, Nothinbutanallstar returned $11.60 to his faithful followers.

Highland Yankee, the 6-year-old son of Muscles Yankee, used similar tactics as in his last start in stretching his winning streak to two with a 1:57.3 virtual gate-to-wire win for Ed Hensley.

Using a 1:00 middle half breather after a :28.3 opener, Highland Yankee sprinted home in :29 to hold the fast closing Increditable (Kevin Wallis) safe by a half-length. Favored Lugar (Bruce Ranger), in the garden spot all the way, finished third while CJ’s Rascal rallied for fourth. High Blue picked up the final award in the field of nine.

Trained by Dale Gilmour for owner David Lewis Linker, Highland Yankee won for the second time this year in seven starts to send his 2015 bankroll to $16,385. He’s socked away $263,578 lifetime. As second choice on the board, Highland Yankee paid $8.80 to win.

It was “bombs away” in the $9,400 conditioned trot as Verrazano Stables’ Ex King, handled by Dan Daley, upset the applecart as the longest chance on the toteboard — 57 to 1 — keying a 50 cent trifecta payoff of $13,650.

This 5-year-old son of CR Excaliber overcame the second tier post to work out a perfect second over journey through fractions of :27.3, :56.4 and 1:26.2, sweeping three wide turning for home and sealing the issue with a :28.3 finale to score in a lifetime best 1:55.2 — his margin three lengths over the pacesetting Hobson’s Choice (Ed Hensley). The late charging Master Host (Jason Dillander)was third while On The Tab, prominent early on, was fourth with DC Flashback fifth after a backside bid that put pressure on the leader around the final turn.

Ex King won for the initial time in 2015 to send his season’s earnings to $10,965. His lifetime bounty now stands at $160,292. Ex King returned $117.60 to win, by far the largest winning mutuel of his career, surpassing the $23.20 win mutuel at Batavia early in his career.

Finally, Pompano Park’s Super Hi-5 again had multiple winners on Wednesday night with the carryover for Saturday’s card at upwards of $35,000. Post time is 7:30 p.m.