Winners-Over
trotters, racing for a purse of $7,200, were featured at Cal Expo on Friday night (May 18), on which
Giles L S Hanover picked them up and laid them down.
Prior
to starting from his assigned post-one in the field of seven, pilot Steve
Wiseman gave himself a better chance than his 12-1 morning-line and despite his
charge being winless on 16 seasonal starts.
"The
horse always tries his hardest," stated Wiseman. "I thought if I got away close and the
fractions were honest, that I had a shot."
Coming
away fourth into a snappy :28.1 opening-quarter, was this good for the seven
year-old?
"It
didn't hurt at all. I liked seeing a
little fast pace early because it keeps the tempo going, plus he likes fast
fractions."
With
the pace-setting Putoneonnetformom (James Kennedy) getting a :30 second-quarter
breather, combined with a parked from the start Broadway Victory (John Mc Keon
Jr.) alongside of Wiseman, things weren't going quite as well.
"I
was a little concerned there because Broadway Victory was just sitting there
next to me and going nowhere. I was just
hoping that Scotty (Cisco) would pull with Dudis Angel and I'd be able to
follow them and get out."
Locked
in on the final-turn while Putoneonnetformom opened up at the five-eighths mile
station, Wiseman had to be realistic.
"When
Putoneonnetformom opened up, I thought at that point that the race was for
second. As a result I was just hoping I
could salvage second."
Sliding
to second-over position at the same time Putoneonnetformom, who was under a
hold, reached the three-quarter mile pole, timed in 1:28, Wiseman at least
thought his chances for the place honors were better.
"At
that point with me now free, I knew I had a decent shot to get second."
Moving
three-wide with 3-16ths of a mile to go and gaining at the seven-eighths mile
marker, Wiseman had good reason to increase his chances.
It
wasn't until inside the seven-eighths that I thought I had a good shot of
catching Putoneonnetformom because it looked like he was coming back to
me. From that point on my horse was
responding to everything I was doing, which was yelling and urging a little. He kept to his task and was very strong right
through the wire."
Flying
into the lead with less than a sixteenth of a mile to go and hardly being
urged, the gelding would score ($17.20) by 1-1/4 lengths. Owned by Marty Garey & Hank Wieseneck in
partnership with trainer Bob Johnson, Giles L S Hanover stopped the timer at
1:57.3, a lifetime best. Shelby County
(Rocky Stidham) finished in second, and Putoneonnetformom finished a half of
one-length farther back, in third.
“He
raced awesome for his first victory of the year. You couldn't ask for a better race to win
than the Jim Grundy Memorial. I'm very
grateful to Bob Johnson and his owners for letting me drive him all year,"
concluded Wiseman.
Winners-Over
pacers, racing for a purse of $6,800, were also spotlighted on the card, on
which Albion, despite being assigned post-ten in a field of six, won his fourth
straight.
Leaving
for driver Luke Plano and getting a seat fifth 3-16ths of a mile plus past the
start into a :27.2 first-quarter, Plano had his pacer moving past the
quarter-pole, was three-wide well past the 5-16ths mile marker, was first-over
past the three-eighths, then made the lead to the 7-16ths mile pole into a
:56.3 opening half-mile.
Getting
a soft :29.2 third-quarter into a 1:26 three-quarters, Albion opened up his
lead at the head of the lane, then expanded it with an eighth of a mile to go
with no chance of getting caught.
Owned
by Dan Tullio & James Mascola in partnership with trainer Matias Ruiz, the
six year-old won ($2.60) by two-lengths, in 1:54.2. The victory for the gelding was his 11th on
the season, his 21st in the last two years, and his 28th triumph overall. Cycle Power (Steve Wiseman) was a nice
second, and Split Ticket (Scott Cisco) finished 2-1/4 lengths farther back, in
third.
For
driver Luke Plano, the victory was the second of five winners on the
night. Also on the 15-race card, driver
Dave Siegel had a grand-slam.
Live
racing continues at Cal Expo on Saturday (May 19) at 6:00 p.m. (PDT). 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 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.
