Another Canadian trainer is working on finalizing the details to relocate to Florida for winter training
, and Ontario-based trainer Bill Companion was a guest of the Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park for the January 12 program.
"We're doing something different this year and my wife and I are finally taking an extended winter holiday," Companion said in a live trackside TV interview. "Our top horse, Nureyev, is getting some time off too after making 34 starts last year and running up his life's earnings to close to $400,000. This weekend we're leaving for a Caribbean cruise but we've spent a lot of time looking the training centres up near Orlando and I really liked what I saw.
"I talked a lot with (fellow Canadian horseman) Dr. Ian Moore and got some great advice. Now at age 52 I really look forward to getting away from the cold weather to train horses," Companion says."I had more than two decades in Edmonton and the last ten years at Rockwood (Ontario). I'd like to think I've done my hard time and won't at all miss jogging horses in sub-zero weather," the career winner of 468 races for almost $5 million in purses added. "I also won't rule out getting a horse or two to race here at Pompano, and seeing tonight's program here trackside the racing is a lot tougher than I thought it was."
Companion also spoke of his early career memories and special ties to Pompano.
"When I was 18 years old I left home in Summerside, Prince Edward Island and got a big break in 1976 to come to Pompano to work for the late and legendary Stanley Dancer," he explained. "I suppose my top memory from back then was when he (Dancer) went a 1:59 mile on the training track with the filly Mistletoe Shalee, that was a huge deal back then. Working for him set the pattern for my career. Now I've just got to convince my wife it's time to leave Rockwood (Ontario) behind in the winter to train in Florida," he added.
Ranger Milestone Must Wait Until Saturday
Driver Bruce Ranger found ways to win twice early on the Wednesday evening, January 12 program at The Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park but he was then shut out of the winner's circle for the final eight races on the program. He'll have ample opportunity though to notch the two wins needed on Saturday night to join harness racing's elite 8,000 win club.
In the 3rd race Wednesday evening, Ranger brought home favored Sun Island in a $6,000 purse conditioned trot. That preceded a crafty steer in the 4th race as he kept class dropping claiming pacer Anvilanunoit N covered up until the final eighth of the mile and then a seam through traffic to notch career win 7,998.
The rest of the night Ranger had several favorites which could not hang when leading into the stretch as the Wednesday evening bias went strongly to off the pace winners.
The 51-year-old horseman hailing from Portland, Maine is the leading driver in the 47-year history of harness racing at the South Florida venue. Ranger has drives scheduled in nine of the eleven races carded when racing resumes on Saturday evening, January 15 at Pompano.
In addition to the Bruce Ranger milestone watch on Saturday evening, there's a Pick-4 wager carryover pool of $4,328 and the weekly top class pace for a $12,000 purse. Post time is 7:05 p.m. every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday at The Winter Capital Of Harness Racing.
(The Isle Pompano Park)