Image Of A Dream, craftily handled by Rick Plano, closed fastest of all to capture Pompano Park's $11,500 Open Handicap Pace for Mares on Tuesday night (Jan. 5) as the track made handle history with its first back-to-back million dollar plus handle nights in its 57 year history.
The win by Image Of A Dream was just one part of an outstanding night of racing in South Florida as the handle of $1,168,771 for the 10-race program came on the heels of a Monday handle of $1,134,368 on the 13-race card.
On to the racing, Image Of A Dream, the six-year-old daughter of Rockin Image, may have begun her journey to the winner's circle three days earlier when she drew the best of her rivals as the number one post was assigned and posts two to seven were drawn with Rockin Image having drawn the two post.
Her margin of victory was a length on the strength of a :28.4 kick home to collar the pacesetting Casies Believer inside the sixteenth pole. Glenferrie Blade was another neck back in third while in the garden spot most of the way while Northern Dali was next. Cult Icon managed to pick up the nickel in the classy field scratched down to seven with the scratch of Shesgotitgoingon.
As the wings folded, Casies Believer zipped to take the lead with Glenferrie Blade leaving to her inside and these two were one-two early as Cult Icon was also on the move in search of the top spot herself. After a hot opener of :26.4, Cult Icon was pressing on and stuck her head in front heading into turn two, but did not clear at the half in :55.1.
On the backside, Cult Icon began to feel the toll of her effort and Plano had to make a decision of whether to sit chilly for a bit more or swing wide around Cult Icon. He decided "patience" was in his best interest and he stayed cool until finding a seam to swing widest of all at the top of the lane. From there, Image Of A Dream dug in fastest of all to win.
After the race, "Plano said, "Well, we drew an advantageous post to start so we were within striking distance all the way. I thought I'd stay put as Andy's (Shetler) mare (Cult Icon) looked like she had enough and we were just lucky to make that decision. That's all there was to it."
Image Of A Dream won for the seventh time in her career and this payday sent her career bankroll to $43,595. She paid $12.20 as fourth choice in the betting.
On the wagering side of the ledger, Pompano Park established a "first" in its 57-year history with two-consecutive million dollar plus handles—the Tuesday handle being $1,168,771 for the 10-race program on the heels of the Monday night handle of $1,334,368 for the 13-race extravaganza.
The Pick-5 carryover of $28,182 on Monday produced an ambitious $150,000 guaranteed pool for Tuesday and a record $207,403 of new money was added, bringing the total pool to $235,585.
When all was said and done, the 50-cent Pick-5 payout on the 7-5-8-5-6,8 combinations returning $10,628.90 to 19 "Send-It-In" genius handicappers—that payout bolstered by a 61-1 winner, Steal My Thunder, in the fourth leg.
The Pick-6 pool, with a carryover going in, attracted a season high $20,884 with that 8-5-6,8-4-4-2 sequence returning $22,333.50 for the 50-cent ducat.
The track's Pick-4 Pool of $61,693 was also a new record for that wager.
Wednesday's program features a $15,000 guaranteed Pick-4 pool and a fourth-race pentafecta carryover of $12,795. The Super Hi-5 finale also boasts a carryover of $60,966.
Post time is set for 7:20 p.m. (EST).
(Pompano Park)