Isle Of Capri gets $100,000 raise; Van Lennep Series added

December 15, 2007

The Isle Casino & Racing at Pompano Park has announced a $100,000 purse increase for its signature race, the Isle of Capri Pacing Series Final, while establishing a counterpart series for female pacers that will be named in honor of Frances Dodge Van Lennep.

The 10th annual Isle of Capri Pacing Series Final, to be contested on March 1, 2008, will carry a guaranteed purse of $250,000.

The Isle of Capri Pacing Series has a $500 nomination fee per horse, and will commence with the $20,000 Isle of Capri Pacing Series Preview, scheduled for February 9. The $50,000 first leg will be held on February 16 while the $50,000 second leg will be contested February 23. The series will culminate with the $250,000 added final on March 1.

Last season, Load The Dice won the $157,500 Isle of Capri Pacing Series Final while setting the all-age track record of 1:49.3.

The Isle Casino & Racing at Pompano Park will unveil a new series in 2008, as track officials announced the creation of the Frances Dodge Van Lennep Pacing Series for fillies and mares, with total purses of $120,000.

Considered the �first lady� of Pompano Park, Frances Dodge Van Lennep married Fredrick Van Lennep in 1949, and together the couple built and ran Pompano Park, which opened in 1964 .

Mrs. Van Lennep was the daughter of John Frances Dodge, co-founder of the Dodge Motor Company, and was a world-renowned equestrienne, setting the world record for trotting under saddle with the immortal Greyhound in 1940. She also owned the most famous and successful of all American Saddlebreds, Wing Commander, who is buried at Pompano Park.

The inaugural Frances Dodge Van Lennep Series has a $200 nomination fee per horse, and will include the $20,000 preview February 8, the $25,000 first leg February 15, the $25,000 second leg February 22, and the $50,000 added final to be held on February 29.

Also returning for 2008 is the $120,000 Mack Lobell Trotting Series, which was swept last year by Tweedle Dum. The Mack Lobell Trotting Series has a $200 nomination fee per horse, with the $20,000 preview set for February 11, the $25,000 first leg scheduled for February 18, the $25,000 second leg on February 25, and the $50,000 -added final March 3.

The final for each series will be limited to nine starters, with the highest point earners from the first two legs eligible.

Nominations for each series must be received by January 22, 2008. Nomination forms are available via fax or mail by calling the Pompano Park Race Office at 954-972-2000, or can be found on the isle casino & racing at pompano park website at
www.theislepompanopark.com. (Pompanop Park)

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