For months at Cal Expo, the Winners-Over division of the trotters was a two-horse race. Thanks to Shelby County, that's no longer the case.
Winners-Over trotters, racing for a purse of $4,500, were featured on Thursday night (January 12), on which Shelby County repeated while showing her versatility.
Before starting from post-position five in the field of six, driver Anthony Succarotte knew that a change in tactics was in order.
"I didn't think I'd get away up front like last time because I thought everybody else was going to want to sit with better position," said Succarotte. "But I still thought that even though I was going to duck, that my chances were still good because I felt longshots would be up front and if I was a couple of lengths off at the top of the stretch - - I could hopefully outclose them."
Coming away last into a pace that wasn't fast, Succarotte wasn’t concerned when the quarter came up in :29.2.
"I wasn't thinking about the pace, I was thinking that I was not going to pull off Giles L S Hanover's (Steve Wiseman) back because I knew he'd take me to the top of the stretch."
Remaining at the caboose through a :59.3 first-half, Succarotte moved his mare to second-over position with just less than 7-16ths of a mile to go, then followed the moderate moving cover of Giles L S Hanover until tipping three-wide at the three-quarter mile station, timed in 1:29.2.
"I tipped a little early because I wanted to keep Giles L S Hanover in, but I thought my chances were pretty good because she's a strong finisher."
Brushing up late in the final-turn and under a drive into the stretch, the five year-old started gaining.
"I knew I was getting there around the seven-eighths when I looked over at Putoneonnetformom (James Kennedy) and it seemed like they were getting to him - - all while my horse was strong down the stretch."
Closing nicely into the lead with a sixteenth of a mile to go, Shelby County won ($6.00) by 1-1/2 lengths. Bred & owned by Ben Kenney, the trotting-hobbled lass stopped the timer at 1:58.2. Giles L S Hanover only found room late and closed to be second, and the pace-setting Putoneonnetformom finished a half of one-length farther back, in third.
"She's a very nice trotter who did her job again and raced great. Like I said last week, Rocky has the horse ready every week," concluded Succarotte.
Live racing resumes at Cal Expo on Friday (January 13) & Saturday (January 14) night at 6:00 p.m. (PST). On Friday, Cal Expo offers free parking & free admission after 4:30 p.m. Also on Friday, Cal Expo offers Happy Hour from 4:00-7:00 p.m. on which Beer, Well Drinks & Wine are offered at $4 each, while a Burger with fries is offered at $5.
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 tickets made at Cal Expo or at Twinspires.com.
