Mo Jo silences sparrow

The mare Fox Valley Mo Jo halted the two-race winning streak of S Sparrow Express when defeating that rival to take the featured $8,000 seventh-race trot at Pompano Park on Wednesday, covering the mile in a lifetime best 1:57.

Driven from post four by Daryl Bier, Fox Valley Mo Jo dueled with Giambi (Gaston Lareau) through the early stages of the Wednesday feature, with the latter parked out on the lead through an opening quarter mile that was timed in :28.1.

As the trotters marched by the grandstand for the first time, Bier was not content to sit the pocket with Fox Valley Mo Jo, and aggressively angled the mare off the pylons to claim the top spot, showing the way to the the half-mile marker in :58.1.

Fox Valley Mo Jo faced a challenge down the backstretch from Down Swing (Kevin Wallis), who made a bold first-over bid to push his head in front as the field moved by the three-quarters marker in 1:27.2, but the mare did not wilt under pressure, and fought back resiliently through the final turn to regain control of the race.

The Fred Cohen-trainee held a one-length advantage at the top of the stretch and proceeded to open up on her rivals through the final yards to prevail by 1 1/4 lengths at the wire, with a final quarter clocked in :29.2.

Fox Valley Mo Jo returned $15.40, $10, $3.20 for the victory. Down Swing brought in $10.40, $3.60 for second, while race favorite S Sparrow Express (Wally Hennessey) paid $2.40 for third.

Owned by David Schneider of Coral Springs, Fox Valley Mo Jo is a four-time winner in 2007, with over $21,000 in seasonal earnings. The 6-year-old mare is a daughter of Vaporize, out of the Armbro Charger mare Fox Valley Carmen. (Pompano Park)

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