A
5-year-old son of Armbro Scribe, Franks Best is owned, trained and was bred by
Bob Johnson and as usual will have Lemoyne Svendsen handling the lines. He comes into this assignment with $119,000
in earnings and established his 1:57 career standard here last season.
The
Johnson representative, who has a slew of stakes trophies to his credit,
finished up his 2011 campaign in style while getting the snapshot following
nine of his 27 appearances. He was
disappointing in his first few tries this year, but returned to his winning
ways when dropped to this league two weeks ago.
Unhurried
early in that affair, he came out second over at the half, attacked to the
stretch and won going away by two and three-quarter lengths. In last week’s top dance for the trotting
set, he sat the pocket behind the mare Shelby County and closed the gap late to
miss by a neck.
Alpine
Hawk is a hard-hitting 11-year-old by Movie Mogul who races for Jim Winske,
hails from the Gordie Graham barn and has Rich Wojcio in the sulky. He has a $164,000 account and his 1:56.4 mark
was set four years ago.
The
veteran accounted for half of his 16 starts last season and has three trips to
the winner’s circle from five appearances in 2012. He has shown his versatility during the
course of these decisions, proving he can get the job done on the engine, from
a tracking spot or from the back of the pack if tactics dictate.
Carpathian
Hooray, Giles L S Hanover, Meringue, Aston Boko and Twice The Ruckus complete
the field.
************
Live
racing resumes at Cal Expo on Friday (February 17) & Saturday (February 18)
at 6:00 p.m. (PST). On
every live card, Cal Expo offers free parking & free admission after 4:30
p.m. 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 currently offers a reduced 15 percent takeout rate on all Pick 4’s
(Thursday/Friday nights in partnership with the USTA Strategic Wagering
Committee). This Friday & Saturday
night, all Late Pick 4’s will come with a $10,000-guaranteed pool. Additionally, there will be a 0% takeout on
successful Late Pick 4 tickets made at Cal Expo or at Twinspires.com.
In
addition to both Pick 4’s at Cal Expo continuing to offer a reduced 15 percent
takeout rate, beginning February 24, the Late Pick 4’s on Friday and Saturday
will come with an increased $15,000-guaranteed gross pool.
Also
starting that weekend, the Friday Late Pick 4 will offer a 0% takeout on all
winning wagers made on track or at Twinspires.com, while the Saturday Late Pick
4 will be broadcast on TVG.
