Sunday, May 13, 2012 - by Scott Ehrlich,
Publicity – Cal Expo
Colts
& geldings were spotlighted at Cal Expo on Saturday night (May 13) in two
$12,000 California Sires Stakes, on which Ra Ra Steven & Rite After Disbeer
scored.
In
the pacing event, the first time lasix using Ra Ra Steven got an uncontested
lead from post-one in the field of eight, thus pacing a reasonable opening
quarter for his pleased pilot.
"I
was very happy with the :29.3 first-quarter because it was easy and
smooth," said driver Rich Wojcio.
Under
a nice grip on the backside, the gelding still paced a quicker 2nd split, but
continued to do it easily while looking solid when reaching the half-mile
juncture, timed in :58.3.
"He's
big and he's strong and pretty much dictates how fast he's going to go. He felt very good and was comfortable going
the :29 quarter."
Still
under a hold on the final-turn, Wojcio decided to let out some notches midway
through the final bend.
"He
paces the turns well, so I let him out to get a little real-estate on
them."
Opening
up by 3-1/2 lengths in the blink of an eye while pacing an effortless :28.1
third-quarter, a statue sitting Wojcio and his charge reached the three-quarter
mile station, timed in 1:26.4.
"Like
I said he can pace fast and there are times that it doesn't feel like he's
going that fast. At the three-quarters
he was very strong and I felt very confident at that point."
Opening
up by five-lengths in the upper-stretch, then on top by 7-1/2 with an eighth of
a mile to go, Wojcio only had to resort to two body urges at mid-stretch, then
one urge with less than a sixteenth of a mile to go when his pacer seemed to
slow up, but with the issue never in doubt.
"He
was comfortable down the lane."
Bred
in part by Billie Schwartz in partnership with David Rachford and trainer Jim
Wilkinson Jr., the son of Little Steven-Ra Ra Rosa-The Panderosa won ($5.40) by
3-1/2 lengths, in 1:56, a lifetime best.
That Space (Luke Plano), the 7-5 favorite, finished in second, and Bee
Gee (Steve Wiseman) was placed third from fourth. Looks Don't Count finished in third, a length
behind That Space, but was disqualified and placed fourth for a lapped-on-break
at the wire.
"I'm
glad he won tonight, especially since I got disqualified in his last Sires
Stakes when he finished first. I thought
he handled himself very well tonight and thought he was very good. Kudos goes out to Junior (Jim Wilkinson) and
his staff for doing a great job," finished Wojcio.
Trotters
started off the evening in their Stake race in a non-wagering mile prior to the
betting card, on which a smart drive got the job done for Rite After Disbeer.
Making
the lead 3-16ths of a mile past the start for driver Luke Plano, the duo cut
out fractions of :30, 1:01, and 1:31.1, but with the two year-old undefeated
champ El Azteca (Marco Rios) getting the perfect trip. Now in the stretch with a first-over Loose
Cannon (Steve Wiseman) at his flank, Plano knew what he needed to do to win.
"I
have quite a bit of respect for El Azteca," stated Plano. "As a result, I knew I had to keep him
locked in off the trip he had gotten on my back."
Holding
pylon position for as long as he could, the race was on in deep-stretch when El
Azteca squeezed up the inside in tight-quarters, but the wire came up and made
Rite After Disbeer and three-peat winner in Sires Stakes action. Bred & owned by Mary Harris, the Kennedy
Lindsey trained colt won by a neck, in 2:00.3, a lifetime best. Loose Cannon finished 1-3/4 lengths back in
third, but was placed second. An unlucky
El Azteca finished in second, but was disqualified and placed third for
violation of the Cal Expo pylon rule while attempting to improve his position.
"I
know that El Azteca very well could have won had he gotten through, but it
worked out for me. My horse still raced
good and is getting better with every start," concluded Plano.
Live
racing resumes at Cal Expo on Friday (May 18) & Saturday (May 19) 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.
