The FSBOA sponsored Stallion Stakes continued at Pompano Park on Saturday night with Owosso Flash taking the $25,000 event for two-year-old pacing colts and geldings and Tough Issue grabbing top honours in the $22,500 event for sophomore pacing colts and geldings.
Owosso Flash, deftly handled by Mike Deters, survived a very rocky beginning and went on to score a one and a quarter length decision over Gold Star Roger, driven by Wally Ross Jr., in 1:58.1. Caesars Forum teamed up with Bruce Ranger to finish third with Drake fourth. Dustin picked up the 'nickel' in the sextet.
As the gate sprung, both Drake and Stutz were vying for supremacy early with Dustin away in good order, as well. Around the first turn -- at the first yellow (eighth) pole -- Owosso Flash shied away and took a right turn toward the paddock, spotting the field some 15 lengths.
Deters gathered him up, calmed him down and began trudging forward after a :30 opener by Drake. Stutz then quickly took over and marched over to the half in 1:01.1 with Drake in the garden spot and "Flash" motoring forward in third and on his way toward the top, a spot he reached heading into the far turn.
With a "picked up" three-quarter time of 1:29.3, Owosso Flash turned for home with the lead and repelled the mid-stretch threat of Gold Star Roger to score his third consecutive win against his classmates.
In a post race interview, Deters said, "This colt is very green -- fast, but green -- and, yes, he took a right turn shying away from that first pole. He showed he can pace a little tonight. He probably paced his last seven-eighths around 1:40 or so."
Owosso Flash, formerly named Prairie Sams Son, was renamed in honour of Owosso, Michigan horse owner John Spindler, who took Deters under his wing when Deters' father passed away at a young age.
"It's just a little tribute to a gentleman I considered to be a father to me," said Deters, "and I have, to this day, great admiration for him -- an admiration that cannot be put in sufficient words."
With the win -- his third lifetime in four starts -- this son of Royal Millennium pushed his earnings to $20,300 with the most lucrative of the Florida Stakes season entering its richest stages.
Laurie Poulin owns Owosso Flash along with Deters.
Tough Issue, also trained by Deters but driven this night by Bruce Ranger, took the Stallion Stakes for the three-year-old pacing colts and geldings by edging past a stubborn Gold Star Kenny P, handled by Mickey McNichol, in 1:57.2.
Owned by Brenda Komers along with the Verderame Stable, Tough Issue, a son of Tough Sir, waged all out war with Gold Star Kenny during an opening quarter blistered in :26.4 before yielding to that one. He inherited the garden journey the rest of the way before tilting out turning for home and wearing down "Kenny" midway down the lane. Warlock was third in the trio.
After the mile, Ranger said, "Well, we lost the battle [an opening panel in :26.4] but eventually won the war at the end...and that's what counts.
For Tough Issue, it was only his third win of the year in 18 starts, but this win came at the right time and sent the gelding's 2014 bounty to $30,101 and lifetime earnings to $85,846.
Both of these events were off the betting card.
On the card was the $10,000 Open Pace and that went to the 1-2 betting favourite Duc Dorleans, trained and driven by Donald Dupont for Gestion C Levesque of Quebec.
Away fourth in the field of seven, Duc Dorleans let Prairie Jaguar, handled by Aaron Byron, open up a long lead off of hot fractions of :26.2 and :54.3. On the backside, "Duc" began chewing into "Jaguar's" lead, moved along side at junction number three timed in 1:22 and edged by the stubborn Prairie Jaguar to score by one and a quarter lengths in 1:50.3. Rajis Blue Line and Mike Micallef teamed up to be third while Cartoonist was fourth. Audreys Dream picked up the minors.
After the race, driver Dupont said, "My horse is very classy and he can churn a long, long way. I wasn't too worried that Prairie Jaguar had that big lead because I know my horse has closed miles with some very fast quarters -- like :26! He was very sharp tonight."
The winner, a four-year-old son of Shanghai Phil, gave Dupont his first driving win since a victory at Grand River Raceway in September of 2010. Duc Dorleans now has 16 wins in 52 lifetime starts, good for $392,856 -- $99,054 this season on the strength of a 4-7-1 scorecard in 21 starts.
The winner paid $3.00 to his backers
(With files from Pompano Park)