Gale warning post in Pompano winner's circle

After having a four-race winning streak snapped last week when beaten a half-length by top local trotter Tweedle Dum, Gale Warning returned to his winning ways on Monday when scoring impressively in the featured $14,000 Open Handicap Trot at Pompano Park, covering the mile in 1:55.3.

Driven from post six by Wally Hennessey, Gale Warning settled in sixth through the early stages as the 2006 Mack Lobell Trotting Series final winner Hellava Hush (Tom Sells) carved out opening fractions of :28 and :57.3.

As the trotters made their journey down the backstretch, Hennessey moved Gale Warning off the pylons to make a charge for the lead, and in a matter of moments the son of Strong Gale marched his way to the front, pulling clear of the field by two lengths while hitting the three-quarters marker in 1:26.1.

Gale Warning entered the stretch with a 3 3/4-length advantage, and the result was never in jeopardy down the lane as the winner simply coasted through the final yards, holding sway at the wire to prevail by that same margin.

Gale Warning returned $2.60, $2.20, and $2.20 for the victory. Battleshoe Victor (Bill O’Donnell) brought in $3.60 and $4.40 for second, while Budlightning (David Ingraham) paid $6 for third.

Owned by Rod Lorenzo, Ciro Gentile and Pomtambo Stable, and trained by Michile Lorenzo, Gale Warning has visited the winner’s circle in 11 of 36 starts this year, and boasts a seasonal bankroll of $115,732 with lifetime earnings over $184,000.

The victory by Gale Warning was the first winning drive of the evening for Hennessey, who would pilot five winners on the Monday card, and has triumphed in 10 of 16 drives over the last two nights of racing.

The Monday feature also marked the first start of the Pompano meet for Hall of Fame driver Bill O’Donnell, who plans to compete regularly at the South Florida oval this winter while driving only trotters.

O’Donnell owns 5,681 victories during his career, was named Harness Tracks of America's Driver of the Year in 1984 after setting a single season earnings record of over $9 million. The following year, O’Donnell became harness racing's first driver to eclipse $10 million in earnings in a single season, amassing $10,207,372 in purse money.

O'Donnell was inducted to Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1992, the Harness Racing Living Hall of Fame in 1990, and the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 1986. (Pompano Park)

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