Toy’s For You continues winning ways

Pompano Beach, FL, February 8, 2022 – Toy’s For You, put to the test in search of his fourth straight harness racing win for owner-trainer Rick Plano, was up to the task on Monday night as the six-year-old Airzoom Lindy gelding held off a determined bid by Four Wheelin (Wally Hennessey) to score by a neck in 1:53. Flagman (Riicky Macomber, Jr.), a stablemate of the winner, was third while the early leader Max finished fourth. Celebrity Pegasus picked up the nickel in a very talented septet.

The versatile Toy’s For You seemed to have things under control after taking the lead at the opening station in a hot :27, traveling through subsequent panels of :55.3 and 1:23.3 but, turning for home, Four Wheelin was under a full head of steam and closed stoutly as these two matched strides to the wire. Flagman actually closed fastest of all–:27.4—and surged from almost nine lengths back around the final turn to finish just 1 ½ lengths away.

After the event, Plano related, “I didn’t see too much going on as the wings folded so it was kind of a late decision to go forward and, once you put this horse (Toy’s For You) in gear, you don’t want to shut him down, so I just let him go forward. But these are all great horses here and you can’t take anything for granted. Wally’s (Hennessey) horse was making a bid and, when mine heard him coming on, he responded like a good horse does. The check’s the same whether it’s two lengths or a neck.”

The win completed a grand slam almost a month in the making as this fourth win pushed the winner’s earnings to $31,950 In this new year and $169,054 lifetime.

As the 2 to 5 race favorite, Toy’s For You paid $2.80 to win.

TOY’S FOR YOU REPLAY

The $12,600 Open II Trot went to Sooo Handsome, also trained and driven by Rick Plano. The nine-year-old altered son of Cash Hall, owned by Maryann Plano, stalked the leading Keystone Apache (Hennessey) through fractions of :27, :56.4 and 1:25.1 before wearing him down with a :28 sprint home to score in 1:53.2.

Enzio (David Miller) was next with Loyal Fox Hanover and Gemologist rounding out the top five in the field of eight.

Sooo Handsome now has 48 career victories and lifetime earnings of $415,030. He paid $4.00 to win.

SOOO HANDSOME REPLAY

In other action, the game 14-year-old warrior Arsenal accomplished two milestones on Monday night by winning a $4,000-$6,000 claiming handicap pace. Closing fastest of all in his sextet, the gelded son of Artiscape made his 400th career start a monumental one by winning for the 50th time in his career, sending his lifetime earnings to $573,867.

Owned and trained by Kelly Case, Arsenal was last at the stretch call but rallied with a :29.1 closing punch to score by a neck in 1:56.3. Off at 22 to 1 as the bell rang, Arsenal paid $47.60 to win to kick off the Pick-5 sequence which ultimately went unscathed on Monday night with an $18,724 carryover spawning a $100,000 guaranteed pool for the Tuesday Pick-5.

Tote-board fireworks continued in the fourth race when Joey Pro, driven by Braxten Boyd for trainer John Hallett and owner Mark Wamp, skimmed the pylons late to score a 25 to 1 upset which left the pentafecta with no winning tickets on the 8-3-4-2-1 combination with a carryover going into the Tuesday night fourth race pentafecta at $7,304.

Joey Pro, by the way, is an eight-year-old gelded son of Glidemaster with 35 lifetime wins and $241,183 coming in and this win provided the winners with Joey Pro’s largest win price of his, now, 36 wins–$53.40, his previous high win payoff being $23.40 at Pocono Downs on June 10, 2018.

That win helped put the kabash on the Pick-6, which also has a carry-over for the Tuesday program.
Director of Racing Gabe Prewitt also announced that, if the Super Hi-5 is not won by a single participant Tuesday, there will be a mandatory payout on Wednesday. That carryover has ballooned to over $103,000 and, with a mandatory in effect, that pool on Wednesday could grow to several hundred-thousand dollars.

Amateur action continued on Sunday and Monday at Pompano Park as the Florida Amateur Driving Club presented three events with drivers Dein Spriggs and Kelly “Sky” Walker guiding the winners.

Spriggs kicked off the festivities on Sunday night by guiding Leopold Sawyers’ Lucky Sevens to a 1:58.1 win as Spriggs edged closer to a milestone 500^th career win.

The seven-year-old gelding by Chapter Seven got picture perfect handling in the garden spot much of the way before a :29.4 final panel sealed the issue over the leading Keystone Orion (Gary Barbere) with Show Me The Magic (John Campagnuolo) third.

The win was the second straight for Lucky Sevens and 12^th lifetime, vaulting his earnings to $69,399. As the 3 to 10 favorite, the winner paid $2.60 to his multitude of faithful.

“Sky” Walker joined the party in the second FADC event by guiding his very own Absolut Uncertenty to a wire-to-wire win in 1:58. The seven-year-old Muscle Mass gelding glided through panels of :29.3, :59.2 and 1:29.3 before a :28 blitz home just held off the surging Steel Reserve (Don Cromer) by a head. A Royal Line (Steve Oldofrd) finished third.

Absolut Uncertenty, enjoying a slight class dip this night, paid $5.60 to win in earning his 15^th lifetime win, sending his career bankroll to $110,209.

On Monday night, Spriggs completed a “grand slam” with his own Uva Hanover as this 11-year-old won his fourth straight to remain undefeated this semester. The son of Cantab Hall began his streak on January 9 and continued his winning ways on January 17 and 24^th before completing the grand slam on Monday.

Trained by Allen Saul, Uva Hanover lifted his lifetime earnings to $613,051 on the strength of 35 lifetime wins and moved Spriggs to within four wins of 500 lifetime.

Though he was in the same class as his last pair of wins and had the rail post position, Uva Hanaover was relegated to third choice in the betting at 4 to 1 and paid $10.00 to win.

The FADC, which has donated over $220,000 to charitable causes since their inception on the generosity of their member drivers donating their driving earnings to these causes, held a paddock party for the horsemen on Monday night, treating them to a full meal consisting of steakburgers, all the trimmings and beverages. Over 100 attendees enjoyed the generosity of the Florida Amateur Driving Club with FADC President saying “Many of these men and women are here in the morning before the sun comes up and here taking care of their horses through the darkness of the night. We thought it would be nice to say, ‘thank you’ to them, as wel as the charities we honor.”

The FADC is getting set for their annual Pro-Am event which is scheduled for February 14 featuring David Miller and Tim Tetrick in team competition benefitting charities.

With a myriad of carryovers including the $100,000 guaranteed Pick-5 pool, post time for the Tuesday program is 7:20 p.m.

For full race results, click here.

by John Berry, for Pompano Park