After
derailing himself in his last with a miscue that cost him his fourth in-a-row,
Albion minded his manners and stamped himself once again as the best on the
grounds.
Winners-Over
pacers, racing for a purse of $4,500, were featured at Cal Expo on Saturday
night (April 21), on which a triumphant Albion pushed his career earnings over
$100,000.
In
advance of starting from his "assigned" post-six in a field reduced
to five as a result of a scratch, driver Luke Plano knew positive things could
occur if a repeat of a negative didn't.
"I
thought last week when the horse made the break at the top of the stretch that
he over-paced himself a little - - and if he didn't do that he would have been
very tough to beat," stated Plano.
"So off that the break didn't concern me and I thought he'd be
tough tonight, plus trainer Matias Ruiz assured me he'd be fine."
Not
leaving until the field was a sixteenth of a mile past the start, Plano saw a
reason to now leave softly.
"I
wasn't in any hurry early, but Glad To Be Back (Rich Wojcio) seemed to gap a
little, so I took advantage of the situation and got around him."
Tucking
in fourth at the eighth, Plano was pleased an eighth of a mile later.
":28.1
was a decent quarter and I was happy with my position at that point."
Staying
put as everyone did, Plano had a good view from the cleanup spot at the
half-mile juncture, timed in :57.1.
"I
thought James (Kennedy) was setting legitimate fractions with Haggin Oaks - -
which left me content in the back. I
will say that had he gone any slower, I might had to have made a move - - but
that turned out not to be the case."
Saving
ground until moving to second-over position at the midway point of the final
turn, an optimistic Plano would urge his charge once just to the three-quarter
mile station, timed in 1:25.2.
"My
horse felt very good at that point and the urging was because he's not overly
aggressive and I was just trying to get him on the bit a little. Based off the second-over trip, I thought
he'd be very tough off that."
Following
One And Only (Jim Lackey) into the lane, Plano could wait no longer as he moved
his six year-old three-wide with less than 3-16ths of a mile to go.
"I
didn't want to rush him outside because I thought that may have been the
problem last week when he broke. So I
eased him off of Lackey's back after drafting a bit, and when I asked him he
responded powerfully."
Picking
up One And Only who had taken over the lead to the seven-eighths mile pole,
Albion soon closed in solid fashion into the lead with a sixteenth of a mile to
go while urged some, then drew away in deep-stretch while now hardly urged.
"He
paced strongly through the wire."
Owned
by Dan Tullio & James Mascola in partnership with Matius Ruiz, the gelding
won ($4.80) by three-lengths, in 1:52.2, equaling a lifetime mark while winning
for the 25th time in his career.
One And Only finished in second, and Haggin Oaks was another 2-1/2
lengths back, in third.
"He
got a real good trip that may have paid off, but he was still very sharp,"
finished the meet's leading driver.
Live
racing resumes at Cal Expo on Friday (April 27) & Saturday (April 28) at
6:00 p.m. (PDT). 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
