Franks Best is a 5-year-old son of Armbro Scribe and the American Winner mare Inside Edition who is looking to add to a $126,000 bank account and sports a 1:57 mark that was established at Cal Expo last season. Lemoyne Svendsen will be in his usual spot in the sulky.
Sent off the 8-5 choice in his last appearance, the Johnson color-bearer sat next-to-last in the early stages, then started to pick up momentum while racing with second-over cover on the final bend. Franks Best exploded in the lane with his :27.4 final quarter carrying him to a length and a quarter decision.
Shelby County was his most immediate victim that evening after carving out all the fractions for driver/trainer Rocky Stidham and returned last weekend to get her picture taken over a sloppy track.
The Ben Kenney-owned Chip Chip Hooray mare has clicked in four of her nine appearances on the year, including a 1:57.1 career-best mile on February 10. No matter the conditions or the way the race shapes up early, she is going to be a major player right back.
The Stidham barn has two strong looks at the outcome with Putoneonnetformom also representing the shedrow this weekend. The 8-year-old Trot For Joy homebred carries the banner of Jeff, Gerald and Diana Cimini with James Kennedy doing the honors. He was third in his last try behind Franks Best and posted his most recent score in coast-to-coast fashion on February 4 in a dominating performance. Giles L S Hanover and Meringue round out the line-up.
Live racing resumes at Cal Expo on Friday (March 23) & Saturday (March 24) 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. Additionally, all Late Pick 4’s now come with an increased $20,000-guaranteed gross pool. Also, 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.
