Busy stakes at Pompano

Trotters were in the Pompano Park spotlight on Wednesday night with six Florida Sunshine State Stakes on the card along with a $10,000 Open Handicap Trot. The star of the stakes-loaded program was JP Sage, the magnificent roan Basil filly owned by the Comedy Hill Racing Stable of Plantation, Fla.

With trainer Stephan Lareau in the bike, JP Sage took top honors in her division of the 3-year-old filly trot with a splendid 1:59.3 win highlighted by a :28.3 final panel.

In garnering her fourth straight win, JP Sage, despite having the outside post six, out-rushed the field early into the lead and then clocked perfectly rated fractions of :29, 1:00.4 and 1:31 before sprinting home to score by three parts of a length over Be Be Bonita, who went a valiant trip for Marc Aubin to be second. FIMO, favored at 3-5, had a “no excuse” trip and finished third.

For JP Sage, it was her 11th trip to the winner’s circle in 17 lifetime starts and pushed her lifetime bounty past $67,000.

The other division for sophomore trotting fillies went to Monalisa Can, who took advantage of a perfect two-hole trip behind Latest Fashion and wore that one down in the final stages of the mile to score in 2:01.1 for Bruce Ranger.

Bob Williams Jr. sent Latest Fashion right to the front and carved out panels of :29.2, 1:01.2 and 1:31.4 before succumbing during the winner’s final quarter in :29.1.

Ima Jean Too, driven by Bob Roberts, was third all the way around and finished that way at the end of the mile, 4 1/4 lengths off the winner.

For Monalisa Can, a daughter of Crown Can, it was her maiden win for Don and Jeanette Glowacki of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

The 3-year-old trot for colts and geldings went to the only colt in the race, Excalibur MC, who got a picture-perfect drive from trainer Mel Turcotte and nailed the pacesetting Alottapossibilities (Wally Hennessey) at the sixteenth pole and went on to score a handy win measuring a length and a quarter. Chief Cochise (Bob Williams, Jr.) was third.

Excalibur MC, a son of Basil, covered the mile in 2:00.1 for his fourth win of the year in 11 starts. Turcotte owns “MC” along with Frances English.

The division for 2-year-old trotting colts and geldings also went to the only colt in the event, Blake Island, who took the lead for Hennessey after three-eighths of a mile and widened his lead thereafter, scoring by a dozen lengths over Timer (Ranger) and Esprit Cheval (Williams) in 2:02.

Blake Island, a son of Wewering owned by John Campagnuolo of Loxahatchee, Fla., and trained by Kim Sears, earned his third straight win and sent his earnings over $20,000 in just six lifetime starts.

The juvenile filly division was split in two with Crown Candle and Wandering Dream winning their respective contests.

Crown Candle, the chestnut filly by Crown Can, took the lead from her outside post early and cut comfortable fractions of :31.2, 1:03.1 and 1:33.4 under the guidance of Tom Haughton and then sprinted away from Southern Breeze (Turcotte) in the stretch to score by 5 3/4 lengths in 2:03.3. Keya Maria (Dave Ingraham) was third.

Crown Candle, who now has four wins in seven lifetime starts, is owned by Dorothy Haughton along with Ron Barnhard and Mary Caputo

Wandering Dream, also a daughter of Crown Can, extended her winning streak to four with a very game 2:03 win for Ranger. Owned by Mike Polansky of Loudenville, N.Y., and trained by Tom Harmer, Wandering Dream played back and forth “tag” the whole mile with APB (Williams) through fractions of :30.3, 1:01.3 and 1:32.2 before edging on by for the third and final time in the final yards of the mile. Cracker Moon Pie was third for Hennessey. (Pompano)

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