Candy surprise at PPK

In a Valentine’s Day trot headlined by five horses that were victorious in their last start, it was Fimo, the lone mare in the field who hadn’t visited the winner’s circle since Sept. 6, that prevailed in the $4,700 trotting feature at Pompano Park.

Driven from post four by David Ingraham, Fimo settled along the rail in second place while Modern Marvel cruised through the opening quarter mile in :27.3, and opened up an eight-length lead after trotting a half mile in :57.1. Moving down the backstretch and nearing the final turn, Modern Marvel began to weaken, which allowed Fimo to move up quickly, cutting the margin down to a length through a three-quarter split in 1:26.4.

As the field straightened out for the final drive, Fimo was moved from the pocket to attack from the outside while race favorite Angelo Kosmos, who had been tracking the top pair from third, was angled off the pylons three wide to begin his assault.

Modern Marvel faded in mid-stretch, leaving Fimo to fend off Angelo Kosmos for the victory. The pair trotted on even terms as the finish line neared, but a resilient Fimo would not let Angelo Kosmos get by, and held sway at the wire to prevail by a nose in 1:57.4, a new lifetime best.

Owned by Inge and Frank Smith of Deerfield Beach, Fla., and trained by Veral Bowman, Fimo is a 4-year-old Florida-bred daughter of Anythings Possible, out of the Giant Victory mare Giant Fish.

Wednesday’s victory was the first trip to the winner’s circle for Fimo this year, but it wasn’t the only time the mare crossed the wire first this season. Two starts back, Fimo edged out Angelo Kosmos at odds of 94-1, but was disqualified when it was judged that she had gained an unfair advantage when racing inside the pylons.

Candy Can proved to be the sweetest Valentine’s Day gift available at Pompano Park on Wednesday as the 4-year-old trotting mare won the second race on the program at odds of 60-1, returning $122.40 for the victory.

Owned and trained by Michael Landolfi of Boca Raton, Fla., and driven to victory from post seven by Terry McIntyre, Candy Can had the lead at every call, holding off the late charge of Abracadabra Can to win by a nose in 2:03.2.

Candy Can offered the longest odds in the nine-horse field of trotters and her winning payout of $122.40 on a $2 wager was the highest of the year at Pompano Park. The mare keyed a $2 trifecta that returned $2,761.20, a $2 exacta that paid $457, and completed a $2 daily double that returned $209.60. (Pompano Park)

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