by Frank Salive, publicity director, The Isle Pompano Park

Pompano Beach, FL — Yet another marquee 3-year-old of the class of 2009 is set to make his Florida debut as trainer Bill Gallagher confirms Tom Cango will be entered for The Isle Pompano Park’s top weekly trot on the upcoming Saturday (Dec. 26) doubleheader card.

“He’s trained just great since he got here,” Gallagher said in a live trackside TV interview before the Monday evening program in South Florida. “That said, he’s a really mean horse around the barn. The only one that can go near him is my girlfriend, Kim. He really hates men but once harnessed he’s fine to jog and go about his work.”

USTA/Ed Keys photo

Tom Cango has eight lifetime wins and a career bankroll of $447,368.

The Tom Ridge-B Cor Tamgo colt was a career winner of over $447,000 for owners Arlene and Jules Siegel prior to Gallagher’s purchase of him from the recent Harrisburg sale for Joe Chnapko.

“Joe is 89 years old now, he’s a Mercedes-Benz dealer in New Jersey and he’s just a great guy for the business,” Gallagher says. “We had a lot of luck and fun with Hellava Hush that made over a million dollars for us. Mr. Chnapko decided he wanted to try again to have a top class trotter.

“He (Tom Cango) raced against Muscle Hill and was third in this year’s Kentucky Futurity. We went up to the $130,000 price for him at Harrisburg based on his future earnings potential and his stakes schedule for 2010 is being left up to me,” Gallagher explained.

Another marquee 3-year-old of 2009, Special Sweetheart, set a Pompano Park track record of 1:52.2 in the filly pace category earlier this meet.

Tom Cango will need to be at his best for his Florida debut on Saturday night. He’ll be up against the top older trotters spending the Winter in South Florida and that’s a crop that includes Battleshoe Victor, Gale Warning, Colie’s, McCoy, Sam Nelson and Talk About Me.

“I’m not really worried about him going against those older horses now,” Gallagher said. “It’s really late in his 3-year-old season and I’d consider him a 4-year-old now. Plus, he made only 13 starts this year and he’s had only 22 lifetime starts. Mind you, they were all tough starts against the best in his division but he seems really fresh with a great future still ahead of him.”

Having great trotters in his barn is certainly nothing new for Gallagher. The 45-year-old conditioner hails originally from Saginaw, Michigan and in addition to the conquests of Hellava Hush earlier this decade, he was the trainer of 1996 Breeders Crown 3-year-old filly trot champion Personal Banner in a monumental upset of 4-5 favorite Moni Maker.

“I still recall my first lifetime win in the early 1980s with Dancing Clown at my hometown track in Saginaw,” Gallagher says. “Dollar for dollar the racing at Pompano Park is really tough. This year I’ve seen horses that were racing in $20,000 claimers at Tioga and Pocono have to be dropped down to the $12,500 or even $10,000 levels to get a win here.

“Wintering in Florida as I have now for several years is really great and whether I stay until the end of the current meet next May 22 will depend on what the racing schedule turns out to be for Tom Cango in 2010.”