He
started five slots away from his closest rival, then had to fight
Mother-Nature, but Albion was still able to get back on the winning track.
Winners-Over
pacers, racing for a purse of $6,800, were featured at Cal Expo on very windy
Saturday night (June 9), on which Albion recorded his 12th win of the year thus
putting him in a second-place tie nationally for most wins for all horses on
the season.
In
advance of starting from his assigned post-ten in the field of six, driver Luke
Plano had two possible obstacles to contend with.
"With
the wind (HEADWIND) blowing up the backside like it was, I didn't want to come
away last from the ten-hole - - so I planned on getting him in the race
early," said Plano. "The
ten-hole didn't help, but he has been racing good all along and if I could get
the right run - - he'd be tough."
Leaving
and racing about five-wide until racing four-wide as the field entered the
first-turn, Plano had to make sure he got around a breaking Haggin Oaks (James
Kennedy) an eighth of a mile past the start.
"I
was kind of keeping my eyes on Haggin Oaks because when she left the gate,
Kennedy seemed concerned going out of there.
But I was also kind of waiting for the smoke to clear because Scott
Cisco and Split Ticket had left out of there pretty good from the
one-hole. So I was just kind of taking
my time in getting to the top."
Not
racing two-wide until after the field had traveled 3-16ths of a mile, Albion
wouldn't clear the lead until a decent ways past the quarter-mile pole, timed
in :27.3. Was the lead tough?
"It
was a fairly testy quarter and lead, but with the wind blowing us out of there,
it wasn't that bad. So I was okay with
the :27.3 and still thought I had a solid chance from there."
With
Plano "appearing" to take a hold of his pacer once on the front, the
pair reached the half-mile station, timed in :58.2.
"The
headwind was blowing hard and I really didn't take a hold of the horse as much
as the wind was slowing us down - - so I was just kind of letting him rate
himself. The :30.4 second-quarter was
what you need when the wind is blowing like that and he was comfortable doing
it. I thought I had no excuse off
that."
Chasing
some after his gelding at the five-eighths mile pole as well as shaking the
lines, what was Plano trying to accomplish?
"Off
the :30.4 I obviously thought I got a solid breather and thought I could kind
of let him get going and not let anybody get too close to him from there. But maybe because of the wind and the track
being a little deep, he wasn't responding quite as well and I ended up going
slower than I wanted in that quarter."
On
top by 2-1/4 lengths at the three-quarter mile marker, timed in 1:29.3, Plano
surely had to feel home free off a :31.1 third-quarter and a 1:02 middle-half.
"It
didn't seem like anybody was making up that much ground from where I was
sitting, so I still thought I was in good shape. Then as soon as he got out of the turn and
into the stretch, I asked him and I thought he responded well and felt I was in
the clear."
Maintaining
his 2-1/4 advantage with an eighth of a mile to go, Plano soon had company.
"I
heard Tax Relief (Dave Siegel) making a bid around mid-stretch and I had a
slight concern at that point. I,
however, got into my horse a little bit and he responded well once again and
fought him off right through the wire."
Owned
by Dan Tullio & James Mascola in partnership with trainer Matias Ruiz, the
six year-old won ($2.60) by one-length, in 1:57.1. Tax Relief finished in second, and Cowboy
Hanover (Kevin Anderson) finished 5-3/4 lengths farther back, in third.
"The
horse is sharp and has been all along and throws a solid race every time I've
sat behind him. He's a very nice
animal," concluded Plano.
Live
racing resumes at Cal Expo on Friday (June 15) & on closing night, Saturday
(June 16) 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.
