Waiting On A Woman wins Pompano’s Open I

Pompano Beach, FL --- Waiting On A Woman, who avoided disaster and almost fell down in his last start when a hobble broke midway through his mile, stayed on his feet perfectly on Wednesday night at Pompano Park to score what turned out to be a handy win in the $10,500 Open I trot.

Skip Smith photo

Waiting On A Woman had an uneventful -- and winning -- trip on Wednesday at Pompano Park.

With Wally Hennessey handling the 5-year-old’s lines, Waiting On A Woman took command when the Hummer Starting Gate opened and led the rest of the way, although he did get a brief scare around the final bend.

The winning margin was officially 1-1/4 lengths with the final time clocked at 1:55, this after a tepid opening panel of :29 and subsequent fractions of :57.3 and 1:26.1.

Celebrity Legacy and Bruce Ranger teamed up to be second with Pure Barre rallying late to be third. Last week’s winner, I’ll Tell You What, handled by Dave Ingraham, was fourth with Adenium getting the final check after the disqualification of Dutchess Seelster, who had originally finished fifth.

Hennessey seemed a trifle surprised at the gelding’s powerful performance.

“He darn near had a disaster in his last race and then he missed a week so I was very happy we were able to get down to the quarter in only :29,” Hennessey said. “You know, the more gasoline you can save early means there’s more in the tank when it really counts!”

Indeed.

After three-eighths of a mile, I’ll Tell You What was out of the fifth spot and trotting up strongly into second halfway through the mile and continued to apply the pressure on the backside to the far turn, getting within a neck of the leader turning for home. But Hennessey “stepped on the gas pedal” and Waiting On A Woman responded, opening up an insurmountable lead a sixteenth out and cruised home an easy winner.

Trained by Travis Kolaczynski for the New Jennsration Stable, Waiting On A Woman now is four-for-five in 2013 with $18,000 on his card, just a smidgen away from his 2012 earnings of $19,474.

Also on the card, trainer Donna Horly registered her first lifetime training victory when her own Tough Chief won a conditioned event, defeating Gators Gone Native and the heavily favored Ashnstellsfun in a lifetime best 1:56.4. Rick Plano drove the 4-year-old Florida-bred to the milestone victory.

-- John Berry

Dover Downs
Mandabra made it two wins in-a-row while Awsome Valley won wire-to-wire in the top two trots on Wednesday, Feb. 6 at Dover Downs. Corey Callahan left fast driving Mandabra and had the lead by the opening quarter. From there it was follow the leader to a 1:55 victory in the $16,000 winners-over trot. The Kadabra-Beautiful Mind gelding won for the second straight week and third time in his last five outings, all on the front end. Nick Callahan trains and owns the winner with son Shaun Callahan and Charles Bonuccelli. The victory lifts his season’s earrings to $31,130 and $211,145, lifetime. I’m So Striking followed program favorite Sun Of A Victory heading into the clubhouse turn until deep stretch where driver Eddie Dennis ducked to the passing lane and came close at the wire to finish second. Baximum came on for Tony Morgan to finish third. One race earlier, in a $14,000 trot, Carlo Poliseno drove Barbara Boese’s Awsome Valley right to the front and continued on for a 1:55.3 triumph holding off 19-1 Spunky Jack (Roger Plante) at the wire.

The Meadows
Hung to the three-eighths, Escape The News nevertheless again made winning look easy, capturing his third straight in Wednesday’s $20,000 Winners Over $10,000 Life/Preferred Handicap Pace at The Meadows. Assigned post eight, Escape The News worked hard for the lead in a :27.4 opening panel. But when the 1-9 favorite (as part of an entry) threw down a third quarter in precisely the same time, he put the field away, triumphing in 1:54 for Dave Palone. Lonesome Attack rallied for second, 1-1/4 lengths back, while Southern Allie, the winner’s stablemate, finished third. Ron Burke trains Escape The News, a 4-year-old Artiscape-Ideal News gelding who now has banked $470,414 in his career, for Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, JJK Stables and Howard Taylor. Palone drove four winners -- three for Burke -- on the 14-race card while Tony Hall and Brian Zendt each enjoyed a triple.