Isle of Capri, round two

He Wants It All and Load The Dice, separated by a just a head in their last encounter, will meet again at Pompano Park on Saturday when the two pacers headline a field of nine that has been assembled for the $50,000 second leg of the Isle of Capri Pacing Series, which goes as the fourth race on a 12-race program.

Michael Polansky’s He Wants It All, the two-time defending Isle of Capri Final winner, captured the opening leg of the 2007 series on Feb. 10, pacing the mile in 1:51.2 to prevail by a head over race favorite Load The Dice. It was the 7-year-old son of The Big Dog’s second victory of the season, and his 13th trip to the Pompano winner’s circle during his career.

He Wants It All will be driven from post three by Wally Hennessey and is coupled in the wagering with Star Role, who finished fourth in the first leg of the Isle Series, and has drawn the rail for Saturday’s race. The Tom Harmer-trained entry has been installed as the 7-5 morning-line favorite.

Load The Dice finished second in the $116,600 Presidential Series final at the Meadowlands before shipping to South Florida for last week’s opening round of the Isle of Capri Pacing Series. The 5-year-old gelded son of Cam’s Card Shark cut fractions of :26.4, :55.4, and 1:24 in that event, but was caught in the final yards and had to settle for second-place money.

Trained by Michile Lorenzo for the ownership of Engel Stable, Sheffield Stable, and D. R. Van Witzenburg, Load The Dice is listed as the 8-5 second choice in the morning line for Saturday’s feature, and will be driven from post five by Bruce Ranger.

He Wants It All and Load The Dice have met five times over the past six months, including four races at Balmoral Park last year. Load The Dice visited the winner’s circle in three of those Illinois events, with He Wants It All scoring his lone victory over Load The Dice in last weekend’s feature from Pompano.

Maltese Artist enters the second leg of the Isle of Capri Series off a third-place performance in the opening round, where he was beaten three lengths. A winner of over $871,000 in his career, the 6-year-old son of Artiscape finished second in the 2005 Isle of Capri final en route to a season where the gelding banked over $460,000.

Owned by Sylvia Burke, John Howard, and James Koran, Maltese Artist is listed as the 4-1 third-choice for the Saturday feature, and will be driven from post four by Brett Miller for conditioner Mickey Burke.

JK Big Shot, who upset He Wants It All in the $20,000 Isle of Capri Preview on Feb. 3, returns for the second leg of the Isle Series after finishing fifth in the opening leg last week. The 4-year-old son of The Panderosa has won three of five starts this year, and will start from post two for driver Anthony Napolitano, trainer Gary Lemaister, and owner Jean Picard.

The $250,000 Isle of Capri Pacing Series concludes with the $150,000 added final on Saturday, Feb. 24. The $75,000 Mack Lobell Trotting Series final and the $50,000 Red Bow Tie Invitational for Florida-bred pacers will also be contested that day. (Pompano Park)

« Back