by John Berry, for Pompano Park

Pompano Beach, FL — After two straight wins in Pompano Park’s top open pace for mares, Pertty Music took last week off before returning to the racing wars on Monday night (Dec. 1) in an attempt to protect her crown.

She did just that.

Skip Smith photo

Pertty Music made it three in a row in the Open Pace for mares, covering the mile in a lifetime best 1:50.2.

The 4-year-old daughter of Jereme’s Jet, superbly handled by owner-trainer Ed Hensley, captured her $12,000 feature by scoring a two length win in a lifetime best performance of 1:50.2, the second time in a row she has lowered her mark.

Just A Bee, with Mike Micallef in the bike, was second with Godiva Seelster teaming up with Wally Hennessey to finish third. De Vins Girl finished fourth in the septet with McFlirty picking up the nickel.

It was Just A Bee, fresh off of her lifetime best 1:50.3 win last week, blasting out of the gate with confidence to sizzle down to the opener in :26.2 with Pertty Music, starting one slot outside of Just A Bee, doing some sizzling of her own to tuck in the garden spot with Godiva Seelster settling into third, positions that would remain unchanged through subsequent panels of :54.2 and 1:23.

At that stage, Hensley left the coziness of the pocket and quickly moved alongside of Just A Bee turning for home before edging clear in the lane for the two length decision.

In a post race interview, driver Ed Hensley said, “My mare can leave a little, too, and she’s so handy that she’ll settle in anywhere I ask. Tonight, we were able to get a great trip because Mike’s (Micallef) mare was going pretty good at the start and we were able to settle in right behind her. She was cutting some pretty honest numbers so that kind of set it up for my “Pertty Girl” to get by in the lane.”

When asked if this was an “easy’ win, Hensley said, “It may have looked easy but any time you have a mare like Mike’s that put her cards on the table with a gate-to-wire win in (1):50 and a piece, it’s never easy. That mare of his is top notch — and so is Wally’s mare (Godiva Seelster) and so are all the others in here. Thank goodness that my mare is top notch, too.”

This win, of course, was the third straight for Pertty Music, sending her scorecard for the year to 7-3-7 in 26 starts, good for $64,230. She’s now banked $209,647 lifetime.

Pertty Music’s hiatus last week may have been the reason that she was second choice in the betting (2-1) after Just A Bee’s even money tote-board status. She rewarded her faithful with a $6.60 win mutuel.

Tuesday night racing at Pompano Park begins this week with first post remaining at 7:30 p.m.