Getting a middle-half breather after getting stung early saw Marlin Hanover get a three-peat.
Winners-Over pacers, racing for a $4,500 purse, were featured at Cal Expo on Friday night (February 3), on which Marlin Hanover was solid again.
In advance of starting from his assigned post-five in the field of five, driver Luke Plano could afford to have a flexible game-plan.
"I didn't really have a set plan," said Plano. "He's pretty handy and I was going to make a gate decision depending upon what the other guys did."
Choosing to fire out for the front, Plano had to deal with Haggin Oaks (James Kennedy), who stretched him out until yielding to a hot :27.3 opening quarter. Was the lead stressful?
"I thought it was a pretty tough lead because we were definitely going out of there pretty good. As a result, I had a slight concern and was definitely looking for a breather after that."
Getting an easy :30 second-quarter, the pair reached the half-mile station, timed in :57.3. Surely this had to be helpful?
"It was quite helpful and exactly what I thought I needed at the time. And since my horse felt good off of a successful breather, I thought my chances were definitely as good as any."
With no challengers, Plano gave his charge a nicely rated :29 third-quarter, thus reaching the three-quarter mile marker, timed in 1:26.3.
"It was a comfortable third-quarter and I know my horse can get home off those numbers. There are, however, a lot of strong closers in this race who can get home as well - - so I thought it was going to be interesting."
Drawing clear with less than 3-16ths of a mile to go before leading by two-lengths with an eighth of a mile to go, Plano was appreciative of his gelding.
"When we straightened up in the lane and I really asked him, he really responded quite strongly and opened up a little bit. The more I asked, basically the faster he went down the lane. As a result, I didn't have a whole lot of concerns coming to the wire as he was very impressive all the way down the stretch."
Scooting home in :27.1 while only under some urging, the five year-old won ($4.00) by 1-1/4 lengths. Owned by Richard Morita & David Yamada, the Liberio Pacheco trained pacer stopped the timer at 1:53.4, a lifetime best. Haggin Oaks finished in second, and Amigo De Garcia (Steve Wiseman) finished three-quarters of one-length farther back, in third.
"The horse is obviously very sharp and is maturing all the time and seems to be getting better with every start," finished Plano. For trainer Pacheco, this victory was the middle portion of a conditioning triple.
On the Friday night card, driver Scott Cisco recorded his 500th career driving triumph when he guided Gee Up to victory. Fittingly, the pacer is leased & trained by Cisco's father, Rick.
Live racing continues at Cal Expo on Saturday (February 4) 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.
