IdaBet.com players might want to know that Ed Hensley’s Pertty Music, deftly handled by Kevin Wallis, held off arch rival Just A Bee, driven by Mike Micallef, in Pompano Park’s $15,000 Open Handicap Pace for mares on Tuesday night (March 22).
Trained by Rod Lorenzo in Hensley’s absence, the six year-old daughter of Jereme’s Jet, led at every juncture of the mile, clocking hot panels of :26.1, :54 and 1:22.4 in route to a 1:50.4 win measuring a length on the line with All Charged Up, teamed with John MacDonald, third, 3 1/4 lengths away.
Jets Are On and Southwind Trini shared the final two checks as finished in a dead-heat for fourth in the talented septet of ladies.
This was a classic Wallis drive as he sent Pertty Music launching from the get-go from post five battling, briefly, with All Charged Up around the opening turn to take command.
Just A Bee, also on the engine from her outside post, was able to wend her way into third early.
Zipping along at a very lively pace, Wallis thwarted any serious challenges with Pertty Music until she marched into the final turn when Just A Bee left the coziness of her pocket and began her attack with 2 1/2 lengths to make up.
That was just not to “bee” this night.
Closing her mile with a :28 finale, Pertty Music hit the wire a length in front as Just A Bee’s :27.4 rally fell short by that aforementioned margin.
In a post race interview, driver Kevin Wallis, now just 15 wins away from 10,000, related, “To tell you the truth, the outcome of this race may have been decided at the draw a few days earlier when Mike’s (Micallef) mare was assigned the outside post and we drew the six and eventually drew one post in from that with the scratch of Joe’s (Pavis) mare, (Arodasi).
“Pertty Music had been racing very well lately and I figured that if I could get a jump on her, I might have the upper hand this...



