by John Berry, for Pompano Park
Pompano Beach, FL — Driver Peter Wrenn captured both co-featured trotting events on Wednesday night (Dec. 27) at Pompano Park, scoring first with Diamond Dagger in the $11,000 Open for mares and then with Rockn Stien in the similar Open for the boys.
Diamond Dagger kicked off the mid-week festivities with a handy win in 1:55.3, despite the fact that she was outside looking in for most of her journey. The 5-year-old daughter of ABC Garland scored by 1-1/4 lengths over Modern Mercury, handled by Wally Hennessey. Bad Angel, saving ground all the way for John MacDonald, closed fastest of all to finish third, just a neck further back. She’s All In, the early leader, finished fourth while Celebrity Artemis completed the order of finish in this classy quintet.
Skip Smith photo
Diamond Dagger took honors in Pompano Park’s Open Trot for mares on Wednesday, stopping the timer in 1:55.3.
Diamond Dagger was away unhurried from her outside post but began her grind forward just past the opening panel in :27.4 as She’s All In led the way, only to yield to Celebrity Artemis three-eighths into the mile. At the :56.2 half, Diamond Dagger was gnawing away first up and just short of the third station clocked in 1:25.2, stuck her head in front and only had to thwart the bid of Modern Mercury, who enjoyed a second over trip back of the winner.
After the race, driver Peter Wrenn remarked, “She sure isn’t afraid to swallow air, is she? She went another of her great trips and, I have to say, Mark (trainer O’Mara) does a wonderful job keeping her consistently sharp. It might end on the racetrack but it begins at the barn!”
O’Mara co-owns the gallant mare along with Paul Johnson and Melvin Schmucker and this win — her 13th of the season in 37 starts — closes out her 2017 campaign with $88,010 and $234,182 lifetime to go along with her Pompano Park mark of 1:53.2. Off at 1-10, Diamond Dagger paid $2.20 to her multitude of backers.
Rockn Stien, the talented 5-year-old gelded son of Valley Victor, turned things around on Wednesday night with a gate-to-wire win for Wrenn in 1:55.1, holding off the late surging Prairie Fortune, handled by Jim Mettinis, by a half-length. Sooo Handsome was third for Rick Plano after a ground saving journey while Uncle Hanover and Zoraze picked up the minor awards in the field of six.
Rockn Stien left with alacrity from the five post and zipped into an early lead, taking the field through fractions of :28.2, :58.1 and 1:26.3 before the :28.3 finale sealed the deal over Prairie Fortune. The latter, who was away, as usual, last in his group for the first half-mile, followed the live cover of Katch Kanna on the backside, tried his patented sweeping move turning for home and gained smartly until the final stages when he was unable to gain any further.
In a post-race interview, driver Wrenn said, “He (Rockn Stien) just wasn’t himself in his last two or three starts, so we gave him a week off to freshen him up. He’s handy enough to win on or off the pace, so since he was feeling good again, I sent him and the fractions were to his liking.”
Trained by Melanie Wrenn for the M T Pockets Stable and Wrenn Racing, Rockn Stien pushed his scorecard to 9-4-1 in 30 starts, good for $75,680. Lifetime, Rockn Stien has banked $221,545. As the 8-5 second choice, Rockn Stien paid $5.40 to win.
Racing continues with a special Thursday night program featuring the “Dash for the Cash,” a five-eighths-mile event carded as the third race. Thursday night’s carryovers include $5,348 for the Pick-6 and $28,642 for the Super Hi-5. Post time is 7:20 p.m.