On
paper, Dudis Angel looks to be in a sweet position in Saturday’s (February 18)
co-featured seventh race at Cal Expo for the trotting set.
The
7-year-old King Conch mare who sports strong human connections in owner/trainer
Bob Johnson and driver Lemoyne “Mooney” Svendsen, and is coming off
back-to-back solid second-place finishes, lands the cozy inside slot for good
measure.
“She’s
improved immensely since moving to Johnson’s barn,” Mooney related. “When she got here, she was hot and wouldn’t
even stand still to get hooked up to the bike.
In the race, she refused to sit in the hole and just wouldn’t relax.
“Now
she’s calmed down and able to do her best work.
You can leave strong with her or take back, and you can basically drive
her with two fingers. It’s made all the
difference.”
Svendsen
also pointed out that in Saturday’s assignment, Dudis Angel gets away from
stable-mate Franks Best and the hard-hitting veteran Alpine Hawk, the trotters
who have stood between her and the winner’s circle in her last two trips to the
post.
“It’s
also nice, because this way I get to drive both her and Franks Best this week,”
Mooney noted.
