Distaffs in PPk spotlight

Female pacers take the spotlight at Pompano Park on Friday when a field of nine assembles for the $10,000 Fillies and Mares Open Handicap, headlined by six-time seasonal winner Hypnotize.

In her most recent appearance, Hypnotize scored for the sixth time this season when pacing the mile in 1:53.4 to win by a head. Just three starts ago, on March 9, the 5-year-old daughter of Artiscape put forth a lifetime-best performance when winning by 4 ½ lengths in 1:52.2.

Owned by Louis Diffenback, William Mack Jr., Lisa Diffenback and trainer Jim Mattison, Hypnotize will be driven from post nine by David Ingraham. The mare is listed as the third-choice in the morning line at odds of 9-2.

Scheduled to challenge Hypnotize from post five on Friday is Flo Found George, a winner of the Mares Open Handicap two starts ago when prevailing in a tight three-horse photo in 1:53.2.

Owned by the Booff Stable and Steve Goldberg, Flo Found George exits a third-place performance at this level last week where the daughter of Dream Away cut out fractions of :27.1, :56.4, and 1:25, before fading in mid-stretch, beaten two lengths at the wire.

Installed as the 5-2 morning line favorite, Flo Found George will start from post five for trainer Anthony Faulkner, with Bruce Ranger at the lines.

Starting from post four in Friday’s featured pace is White Creek Stable’s Maresey Doats, who missed by a head in her last start when losing the lead in the final yards to eventual winner Hypnotize.

A two-time winner this year, including a Mares Open Handicap triumph in late January, Maresey Doats has yet to finish worse than fourth in 10 appearances this season, and has come up a neck shy of victory in two of her last three outings.

The daughter of Towner’s Big Guy starts for trainer Dan Hennessey and will have Wally Hennessey at the controls. (Pompano)

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