Pompano Beach, FL — Rebellious, handled by Wally Hennessey and leaving from the outside post seven, out-muscled a trio of foes during a hot :26.3 opener and continued on top the rest of the way to win the $13,500 Open II Handicap Pace at Pompano Park on Sunday night (March 13).

Rebellious repelled the looming threat of Seeing Eye Single to capture Pompano Park’s top pace on Sunday. Jesisca Hallett photo.

The brave 8-year-old son of Mach Three earned his third win of the season — this one in 1:51.2 — to score by a half-length over a game Seeing Eye Single (David Miller), using a :27.3 finale to secure the win. Actor Hanover (Kevin Wallis), prominent in the garden spot all the way, was third while My House, actually closing fastest of all, finished fourth. Maxdaddy Blue Chip picked up the nickel in the $2 million septet of starters.

As the wings folded, Actor Hanover, My House and Maxdaddy Blue Chip were all seeking the top spot at the get-go with Rebellious wending his way forward letting the dust settle during the early tussle. Once Actor Hanover made the top, Hennessey brushed Rebellious to the lead and proceeded through a half-mile in :55.4.

That’s where Seeing Eye Single was out and driving from fifth and with a strong :27.3 backside brush of his own, reached second as Rebellious tripped the timer at the third station in 1:23.4 with Actor Hanover remaining chilly in the pocket.

Turning for home, Seeing Eye Single kept gnawing away but Rebellious had a :27.3 sprint home to seal the deal on the wire.

Said driver Hennessey after the event, “He (Rebellious) was really sharp tonight. He kind of likes to join the fray from the get-go, you know, but he’s really tenacious once he gets to the front. He was on his own the whole way…and this was a very talented group he faced tonight. It was a very good performance and a tribute to Mike (trainer Deters) who keeps him in such great shape week after week. He might not win every week…but he sure gives his all!”

In sending his scorecard to 3-2-1 in seven starts, Rebellious sent his 2022 bankroll to $28,762 and $456,742 career-wise with 58 lifetime wins. As the second choice at 7-5 on the toteboard (Seeing Eye Single was also 7-5), Rebellious paid $4.80 to win.

The $12,600 Open II Pace went to Real Peace, driven by David Miller. This 7-year-old altered son of Real Desire, trained by Devan Miller for Burke Racing and Weaver Bruscemi, scored in 1:50.4 — the fastest mile of the night — and used a :27.3 finale to stretch his lead to near three lengths at the wire over Double Metal (Hennessey) with JM’s Delight (Rick Plano) third.

Real Peace won for the second time this semester to send his earnings for the season to $24,776. He’s won 31 times in his career with this win vaulting his lifetime bankroll to $317,777. As the 6-5 favorite, Real Peace paid $4.40 to win.

Racing continues on Monday night with trotters in the spotlight as yet another million dollar field goes to the gate. Sooo Handsome tries for milestone 50th career win but will have to overcome some stiff competition in the form of the 14-year-old warrior Cantab Linday, the always prominent The Lionking AS, Four Wheelin, Max, Keystone Apache and Timon AS.

The track is also preparing for the World Class Drivers Challenge on Tuesday and Wednesday as Yannick Gingras, Dexter Dunn, Andrew McCarthy and James MacDonald tackle four legends from Pompano Park, Wally Hennessey, David Miller, Kevin Wallis and Peter Wrenn in an eight-race competition.

The Pick-4 with a $15,000 guaranteed pool bolstered by an industry low 12 percent takeout remains in tact and the Super Hi-5 finale now has a carryover jackpot of close to $55,000.

Post time is set for 7:20 p.m.