The millionaire pacer Maltese Artist showed no signs of rust when returning from a two-month layoff as he captured the first division of the $15,000 Isle of Capri Pacing Series Preview at Pompano Park on Saturday in 1:51.2.
Driven from post seven by Ricky Macomber Jr., Maltese Artist dropped back to fifth place through the early stages of the race as Western Guy, and then No Nonsense Yankee, showed the way through brisk opening fractions of :26.3 and :54.4.
s the pacers made their journey down the backstretch, upset-minded Green River Gorge was angled off the pylons to begin an extended first-over march, pulling on even terms with No Nonsense Yankee while providing cover for Maltese Artist, who also advanced on the outside.
After hitting the three-quarters marker in 1:22.3, No Nonsense Yankee entered the lane with a half-length advantage over Maltese Artist, who was fanned three-wide on the final turn and quickly accelerated to the front, seizing control of the race in mid-stretch before sprinting clear to prevail by 1 ½ lengths. Maltese Artist returned $5.00, $4.20, and $2.20 for the victory. Green River Gorge brought in $17.60 and $3.80 for second, while No Nonsense Yankee paid $2.10 for third. Owned by Sylvia Burke, John Howard, and James Koran, and trained by Mickey Burke, Maltese Artist has visited the winner’s circle in each of his last five starts, including triumphs in the $345,000 Bobby Quillen Memorial at Harrington Raceway and the $205,000 American National at Balmoral. With his Saturday victory, Maltese Artist has now prevailed in 29 of 107 outings, and boasts a lifetime bankroll of $1,925,366. Later in the evening, Artzina, the champion juvenile pacer of 2006, charged home with a final quarter-mile in :27.2 to take the second division of the $15,000 Isle of Capri Pacing Series Preview in 1:51.4. Starting from post six with Bruce Ranger at the lines, Artzina was content to settle in the pocket and track Fake Denario N through fractions of :27, :56.3, and 1:24.1, before pouncing on that rival in mid-stretch and getting up in the final yards to score by a head. Artzina returned $4.80, $3.00, and $2.10 for the victory. Fake Denario N paid $3.40 and $2.10 for second, while JJ’s Gazette brought in $3.00 for third. Owned by Kalman Saul Liebowitz and Marc Rubach, and trained by Dylan Davis, Artzina has visited the winner’s circle in 11 of 32 lifetime starts, with career earnings of $779,138. The $50,000 first leg of the Isle of Capri Pacing Series will be held at Pompano on Saturday, Feb. 16. The series continues with the $50,000 second leg on February 23, and will culminate with the $250,000 final, which represents a $100,000 increase from last year's edition, on March 1. (Pompano)
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