Saturday
evening’s (May 19) $5,000 feature at Cal Expo is the Dennis Giles Memorial, named
for the longtime harness racing fan and owner who died as the result of an
automobile accident last month. He was
73.
Mr.
Giles was born in Alberta, Canada and spent most of his adult life in Northern
California. He was married to his wife
Sherryl for 27 years prior to her passing in 1988 and leaves behind three
children and three grandchildren.
He
is survived by son William; daughters Denise and Tamara; grandchildren Lilly,
Madeline and Morgan; his brother Bill and four sisters, Beverly, Barbara, Janet
and Judi; in addition to many loving cousins, nieces and nephews.
Dennis
worked in various areas of the home improvement industry and was passionate
about his family, his friends and the sport of horse racing. He could be found here at Cal Expo nearly
every racing night at a table that he shared with Jerry and Maureen Pittaro,
Richard Morita, Roland Dekeyser and blacksmith Jason Landers. Dennis also made the Hall of Fame plaques
that hang in the simulcast area.
Among
the horses Mr. Giles campaigned were his first performer Hey Ladies, Sakra
Genesis, Taps To Music, Lindasfella, Mistressoftheball and Tequila On Ice. One of his favorite racing moments came when
Lindasfella won the Cal-bred Open in a lifetime best 1:52 mile.
Dennis
owned Lindasfella in partnership with Harry Aced and Les Hunsucker, he was
trained by Edgar “Sparky” Clarke and driven by Bruce Clarke. He loved to talk about that race with his
many friends in the game and he will be missed.
Headlining
the field for the Giles Memorial are Doc’s Zilla, who chased home the streaking
Albion in his seasonal debut; and Ra Ra Steven and That Space, who were one-two
in last week’s Sire Stakes for the sophomore pacing colts.
Doc’s
Zilla is a 4-year-old son of Cams Eclipse who races for Toman Enterprises,
hails from the Earl Kennedy barn and will be handled by James Kennedy. He won seven of his 22 starts last year,
including a lifetime-best 1:52 victory at Colonial Downs and should be much
more at home with this group. He posted
a 1:56 flat score in a May 4 qualifier and also has the advantage of a race
under his belt.
Ra
Ra Steven and That Space get a rematch after finishing in the first two spots
in the most recent big-money clash for their division. The former is a homebred son of Little Steven
who carries the banner of Billie Schwartz, David Rachford and trainer Jim
Wilkinson Jr., with Rich Wojcio handling the lines. He has four stakes trophies on the mantle,
adding the most recent last weekend in a coast-to-coast performance that
resulted in a 1:56 lifetime mark.
That
Space put in a nice finish to earn the place money and will be looking for a
little revenge here. The Power Of Art
offspring is owned by J J J Stables, is conditioned by Gordie Graham and Luke
Plano has the return assignment. He
captured six of his 10 starts in Canada this season and should be making his
presence felt in the late stages.
Completing
the field are Hi Fidelity with Scott Cisco; Badger Creek for Harold Herrera;
Strikes N Charges, Darren Lupul; Glad To Be Back, who gives the Wilkinson barn
two looks at the outcome; Vantage; Hollywood Lenny, Quentin Schneider; and
Millions with Steve Wiseman guiding.
*********
For
the second time this month, beginning this week purses here at Cal Expo will be
increased by 25 percent across the board.
The increases will remain in effect through the end of the current
meeting on June 16.
“We
are pleased to provide this additional purse increase to the horsemen who have supported
our program,” said Director of Racing David Elliott. “This increase is due to
the underpayment because of increased handle, while Cal Expo has also reached
into their own pocket with an additional $175,000.”
Live
racing resumes at Cal Expo on Friday (May 18) & Saturday (May 19) 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.
