Saturday, January 13, 2012 - by Scott Ehrlich, Publicity – Cal Expo
Conditioned and claiming pacers, racing for a $3,600 purse, were co-featured at Cal Expo on Friday night (January 13), on which Stanza was excellent.
Coming away second from post-position one in the field of five, the six year-old found himself two-lengths off the pace-setting Man With The Money (James Kennedy), but into a rapid :27.2 opening panel. Now sitting a loose pocket until closing the gap to the 7-16ths mile pole into a blistering :55.3 first-half, trainer Steve Wiseman liked how the race was developing.
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| Steve Wiseman |
"I wanted to be up close because that's the way he likes to race," stated Wiseman. "As for the fast fractions, it didn't bother me at all because I didn't have to have my horse doubled up - - which meant he's not touching like he would be if we were down there (half-mile pole) in :58 or something."
On the move to the 9-16ths mile marker and clearing to the front to the midway point of the final-turn and opening up the lead, the gelding had 2-3/4 lengths on his opponents at the three-quarter mile station, timed in 1:24.2.
"I was trying to get all the real-estate I could on everybody because I figured the closers would be coming."
Now on top by five-lengths with less than 3-16ths of a mile to go, Stanza expanded his lead to eight-lengths with a sixteenth of a mile to go before reporting home by a driven nine-lengths.
"He dug in down the stretch every time I asked him and raced very strong."
Owned by world traveler Mark Benvenga, Stanza won ($10.00) by a crushing 9-1/4 lengths, in 1:53.3. Albion (Luke Plano) closed from way back to be second, and Red Star Popeye (Lemoyne Svendsen) finished another 4-1/4 lengths farther back, in third.
"He basically came back to his lifetime mark (1:53.2) and I know he's got the ability to do it. He raced great and likes it better when they roll fast like that because otherwise he gets to interfering with himself and out of whack, which is why he sometimes isn't consistent," finished Wiseman.
Live racing continues at Cal Expo on Saturday (January 14) at 6:00 p.m. (PST). On Saturday, Cal Expo offers Happy Hour from 4:00-7:00 p.m. on which Beer, Well Drinks & Wine are offered at $4 each, while Hotdogs, Fries & Sodas are offered at $2 apiece.
Cal Expo now offers a reduced 15 percent takeout rate on all Pick 4’s (Thursday/Friday nights in partnership with the USTA Strategic Wagering Committee). In addition, all Late Pick 4’s will come with a $10,000-guaranteed pool. On Saturday night, there will be a 0% takeout on successful Late Pick 4 (mandatory payoff) tickets made at Cal Expo or at Twinspires.com.
