by Frank Salive, publicity director, Isle Pompano Park

Pompano Beach, FL — She is widely revered as an integral cog in the formation and successful launch of the pari-mutuel harness track now known as The Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park and it was a joyous return for Mary Ann Trees to the winner’s circle during the Tuesday evening (Dec. 28) program.

“I was the secretary and pretty much the personal assistant to Pompano’s founder, Frederick Van Lennep,” Trees explained in a live trackside TV interview after the race named in her honor. “It was a really exciting and busy time after the property was purchased in the early 1950s, more than ten years before the grandstand was actually built.”

Lap Time Photo – Skip Smith

Mary Ann Trees, the personal assistant and secretary to Pompano Park’s founder Frederick Van Lennep, was honored during the Dec. 28 program.

Among the notable harness racing personalities joining Mary Ann Trees trackside were The Isle’s resident Hall of Fame inductee John Berry, horseman Jay Sears and John Cashman of the legendary Castleton Farms.

“Mary Ann is a little humble about it but she was essentially Mr. Van Lennep’s right hand for almost 40 years,” Cashman said. “She was in the office across the street for close to ten years before the Pompano grandstand was completed in 1964. She has a tremendous business sense and a wonderful wit, which as everyone knows is something that’s really important around the racetrack. In summary, Mr. Van Lennep was the perfect gentleman and in equal measure, Mary Ann Trees the perfect lady. Her contribution was really invaluable in terms of getting Pompano Park built and opened.”

“I really appreciate John’s kind words,” Trees said, just before her superb wit shone through. “While I was working for Mr. Van Lennep I came close to tying a record,” she stated with a chuckle. “I was here for the tenures of seven different general managers over the track’s first 25 years of history. With outlasting that many GMs, I guess I came close to tying the record of how many husbands Elizabeth Taylor has been through.”

Clements had the hot hands

As the most recent cool spell in South Florida was drawing to a close and the Tuesday evening temperature dipped into the upper 40s, driver Dan Clements got busy and swept three straight races on the card for the natural hat trick.

Clements’ dominant run started in the Mares Preferred-2 Pace for a $9,000 purse. He was in the bike to guide the class dropping Nillabomb to a front end score by a scant nose in 1:54.1 over longshot Samantha Q, in rein to Doug Brown. Pinnacle Portia was well back in third for driver Chuck Connor, Jr.

Clements would follow up in the next two races with an off the pace tally for 3-year-old pacing filly Princessofdarkness and a dominant effort by class dropping claiming trotter Peaceful Prince.

Post time is 7:05 p.m. (EST) every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday at The Winter Capital of Harness Racing. The Dec. 29 program with 11 races features the weekly top trot for a $12,500 purse and a $2,500 guaranteed pool for the Pick-4 wager.