Load The Dice Romps

On the biggest stage in Florida harness racing Load The Dice put on a show for the ages winning the $157,500 final of the ninth annual Isle of Capri Pacing Series in 1:49.3 at Pompano Park Saturday to become the fastest horse in the 43-year history of the Pompano Beach oval.

Driven from post five by Bruce Ranger, Load The Dice found a spot on the rail in second-place while Maltese Artist (Brett Miller) showed a burst of early speed to make the lead and cruise through a brisk opening quarter mile in :26.1.

As the field straightened out for its first trip by the grandstand, Ranger tipped Load The Dice off the pylons and with a rush the gelding moved to the front, a position he would not relinquish.

“He’s just a terrific horse,” Ranger said. “The biggest job is to keep him out of traffic, and that went well. I just went along for the ride.”

Load The Dice moved by the half-mile marker in :54.4 and was unchallenged through a three-quarters split in 1:22.4.

He Wants It All (Wally Hennessey), the two-time defending Isle Final winner, began to move up first-over as the field moved down the backstretch, but was unable to sustain his bid and weakened entering the final turn.

With He Wants It All out of the picture and the pocket-sitting Maltese Artist unable to keep up with the leader, Load The Dice rocketed off the final turn with a 3 1/2-length lead, and the only battled that remained was with the teletimer.

Load The Dice continued to open his lead through the stretch, crossing the wire 6 3/4 lengths in front while eclipsing the all-age track record by one-fifth of a second. Maltese Artist finished second while JK Big Shot (Anthony Napolitano) closed to finish third.

The winning margin was the largest in the nine-year history of the race.

“He’s been good all winter,” co-owner Bob Feldman of the Sheffield Stable said. “When we bought him at the sale ($155,000 – Tattersalls 2006 January Select Mixed Sale) we thought we were getting a pretty nice colt. We aimed him for this race and it couldn’t have turned out any better.”

Load The Dice returned $2.60, $2.10 for the victory while Maltese Artist paid $3.60 for second. There was no show wagering available on the race.

Completing the order of finish for the Isle of Capri Pacing Series Final was He Wants It All, Welu’s Dreamboat, Star Role, Doctor Viagra, Weekend Bernie, and Shattered Halo.

Load The Dice is a 5-year-old son of Cam’s Card Shark, out of the Life Sign mare Under Your Spell. The gelding is owned by the Engel Stable LLC and D.R. Van Witzenburg of Illinois, and Sheffield Stable of Pennsylvania. With Saturday’s Isle Final victory, Load The Dice surpassed $500,000 in career earnings.

While campaigning at Pompano Park, Load The Dice was conditioned by Michile Lorenzo for
regular trainer John Mc Dermott.

The previous all-age pacing record at Pompano Park of 1:49.4 was co-held by Parson’s Den, who set the standard when winning the inaugural Isle of Capri Pace Final in 1999, and He Wants It All, who equaled the mark in the opening leg of the 2006 Isle Series.

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