by Frank Salive, publicity director, Isle Pompano Park

Pompano Beach, FL — It didn’t take long for driver Greg Merton and trainer Mike Watson to make an impact since arriving at The Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park.

Lap Time Photo — Skip Smith

Special Sweetheart was reunited with driver Greg Merton to score in 1:51.3 in the $12,000 Mares Open Handicap Pace.

Merton, 37, won his first driving assignment since arriving for this visit from New York State. He was in the bike to pilot pacing mare Special Sweetheart in the $12,000 Mares Open Handicap Pace on the Monday (Oct. 24) program, parlaying a pocket trip behind stable and entry mate I’m Just Special, driven by Bruce Ranger, to the 1:51.3 score. Virtual Princess, in rein to Mike Micallef, brushed up for the place position.

Merton had driven the mare to victory in her previous start over the top mares at Saratoga prior to shipping back to Florida. Special Sweetheart is a graduate of the Ontario Sire Stakes Gold Series and a career winner of more than $808,000 for the 4 For 3 Stable of Bronxville, N.Y., and trainer Peter Pellegrino.

Hailing from East Meadow, N.Y., Merton returned to the Pompano driving colony for the first time since a brief stint at the South Florida plant in 2009 with more than 3,200 career wins for more than $9 million in driving purses to his credit. For the first time in his career, he’s given up training in 2011 to concentrate on catch driving.

Trainer Mike Watson, 50, has been a familiar backstretch face for several decades in his home state of Michigan as well as in Ontario, Ohio and Pennsylvania and he needed only two starts in Florida to get to the Pompano winner’s circle.

On the Monday card, Watson harnessed up 3-year-old pacing filly Real Joy for a 25-1 upset win in the first race under a perfect pocket trip steer by Ed Hensley over a $5,000 conditioned group of fillies and mares for owner Richard Noel of Livonia, Mich.

Prior to shipping to Pompano, Watson had sent out 450 starters this year with 81 winners for more than $400,000 earned. He’ll soon mark the milestones of 2,000 training victories and $10 million in career purses and last campaigned in South Florida in 2003.

There was also a Mares Open-2 Handicap Pace on the Monday evening agenda in South Florida for an $8,000 purse. Bruce Ranger was at his crafty best to sit fifth on the inside until the top of the stretch with Cruisin In Pink before finding clearance to gun down the pace maker, Hay Beautiful, in rein to Mike Micallef, in 1:52.4. Stewart Nemiro trains the 5-year-old daughter of Yankee Cruiser-Rella Hanover for McTrade Enterprises of Davie, Fla.

Post time at Pompano is 7:05 p.m. (EDT) every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. Tuesday racing returns on Nov. 22 when the four nights per week schedule takes effect through March 2012 at The Winter Capital of Harness Racing. The full season schedule, free race night streaming and replays are available in the racing tab at www.theislepompanopark.com.