After a private purchase by trainer Tracy Brainard from the connections of Kevin Maloney at Dover Downs, the 12 year old gelding turned up in an $8,000 claiming event on the Wednesday, March 7 program following at The Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park following a March 2 qualifier at Florida's Spring Garden Ranch.
With Wally Hennessey in the bike, Muscles Marinara cut the mile from post seven but tired in the stretch to finish seventh. Reaching in with a claim was Joe Pennacchio, an avid weekly competitor in the Florida Amateur Driving Club events. Pennacchio recently celebrated his 65th birthday on March 2.
Muscles Marinara, by Muscles Yankee-Chili Bowl, was originally developed by Trond Smedshammer although he was restricted to just three starts in his three year old campaign. In the first decade of the new millenium, the career winner of $1,040,919 was frequently a runner-up in major stakes events such as The Maple Leaf Trot to his main nemesis, Mr. Muscleman, and later raced for a succession of trainers including Ken Rucker, Erv Miller, Richard Banca, and Casie Coleman.
