OPEN TROT, SIRE STAKES HEADLINE PROGRAM
By Mark Ratzky, publicity – Cal
Expo Harness
A $6,000 Open Trot headed by K D Amazin Spirit and I
Love New York and a pair of $10,000 California Sire Stakes for 3-year-olds are
on tap Friday night at the Watch and Wager LLC meet at Cal Expo.
K D Amazin Spirit, who has posed for pictures
following seven of his eight starts on the year for owner/breeder/trainer Keith
Willey and driver Scott Cisco, has certainly earned his top billing in the Open
Trot.
A 7-year-old son of Thadrow out of the Monterey
Judge mare K D Charm, K D Amazin Spirit is going in the sharpest form of his
career and has been putting his versatility on display in the process. He has
won this season on the lead, from a stalking position and from last.
He comes into this assignment riding a three-race
winning streak. The Willey representative made every pole a winning one with
Cisco on March 8, came from last to be up by a head in a blanket finish the following
week, then may have turned in his most impressive mile at most recent asking.
Used hard to the lead, he was overtaken at the half
and was third behind favored Fort Valley As some three lengths back when
straightened for home. K D Amazin Spirit just kept digging and rallied to
prevail by a neck over longshot Shelby County with Fort Valley As tiring to
third in the 1:57 mile.
I Love New York looms large for Bruce Clarke while
Shelby County is back in action with Rocky Stidham. Completing the cast are
Giles L S Hanover, El Azteca and Franks Best.
The two Sire Stakes will go as non-betting events. Among
the pacing fillies, Strings, Show Runner and Babe Ridge have prevailed in the
three big-money events for the division this season. In the trotting stakes
that combines fillies and colts, Its Not Over captured the first two
added-money clashes on the year, but it was More Tequila who scored the upset
in the most recent gathering two weeks ago.
WILLEY’S TROTTERS HAS SIGHTS ON BERGSTEIN
With the $15,000 Stan Bergstein Trot looming next
week, Keith Willey looks to be sitting pretty with K D Amazin Spirit, who has
posed for pictures following seven of his eight appearances this season.
Willey owns, bred and trains K D Amazin Spirit, a
son of Thadrow out of the Monterey Chip mare K D Charm who has really come into
his own as a 7-year-old. He’s won from just about every position this season
with partner Scott Cisco, including last week’s score in the Open where even
Keith thought he was going to be settling for a minor award at the head of the
stretch.
“He’s always been very versatile when it comes to
his style,” Willey related. “I’d have to say last week may have been his most
impressive win this year, because I didn’t think he was going to get there
after he got passed by those two horses on the far turn. But once he
straightened for home, Scott raised the lines and tapped him, and the horse
knows what that means and gave him a real strong finish.
“He’s healthy and he’s happy, and that’s the secret.
Last year he had some issues with his front ankle and wasn’t at his best, but
he’s doing great now and it shows in his races.”
In the
past, K D Amazin Spirit has been raced off the farm and only shipped in to
race, but this season he’s stayed at the track and it has worked out nicely.
“We’re certainly not going to change his routine now,” his mentor noted. “He
just jogs every day and spends a few hours outside in a pen, which he really
enjoys. He likes to have his room.”
While recent rival Fort Valley As has departed for
points East, Bruce Clarke figures to have a big say in next week’s Bergstein
with I Love New York. In this weekend’s tune-up for that event, he is drawn
just inside K D Amazin Spirit and it should be interesting.
