By Mark Ratzky, publicity – Cal Expo Harness
Frank’s
Best is the type of trotter that has everybody in the race looking over their
shoulders when the racing gets serious, having used his long-fused tactics to
put nearly $180,000 in the bank for his owner/trainer/breeder Bob Johnson.
“That’s
his cup of tea,” driver Mooney Svendsen explained when asked about the
6-year-old son of Armbro Scribe. “You give him any kind of trip to the stretch
and he’ll give you a :27 and change final quarter. He loves to race and he
absolutely loves this track.”
While
Franks Best had raced strictly to that wait until the stretch style in his
first three starts at this meet, Svendsen decided to take a little different
tact and moved much earlier with his charge in last week’s clash in the Open
Trot. The result was his second win at the stand, albeit in unusual fashion.
“Opening
week here everything worked out nicely and he looped the field and won,” Mooney
explained. “But then the next race we were stuck behind poor cover that only
went about 10 feet and then the start after that we were forced to zig and zag
and he came home in :27 2/5, but had too much to do.
“The
plan last week was to be aggressive if they tried to go too slow up front, and
that’s exactly the way it was setting up to the half. I moved him out, he
hooked up with his stablemate (Inside Broadway) on the last turn and then was
able to open up into the stretch and he held. He gave me a real nice burst when
I popped his earplugs.”
Frank’s Best will suit up once again with Svendsen
giving directions in Saturday night’s co-featured tenth race. Racing secretary
Fred Kuebler has assigned the hard-hitting sidewheler the outside post in the
field of eight, which familiar rivals as last week’s tough luck runner-up Axle
and barnmate Inside Broadway, both of whom have posed for snapshots at the top
run at this meeting.
A REMINDER THERE ARE THREE WAGERS EACH NIGHT WITH A
REDUCED 16 PERCENT TAKEOUT RATE. THEY ARE THE 50-CENT PICK FIVE THAT BEGINS ON
THE THIRD RACE; THE 20-CENT PICK 4 ON THE FINAL FOUR RACES; AND THE 10-CENT
HI-FIVE ON THE NIGHTCAP.
Phantom Dan, Frank’s Best headline co-features
Saturday’s
12-race program at the Watch and Wager LLC meet at Cal Expo spotlights some of
the top performers on the grounds as Phantom Dan has top billing in the Open
Pace and Franks Best looms the one to beat in the Open Trot.
Phantom
Dan is a 5-year-old son of Little Steven out of the Precious Bunny mare Yankee
Siloh who is owned by James Kennedy and Jennifer Burns and is reined and
trained by Kennedy. He established his mark of 1:53 1/5 here earlier in the
season and is looking to pull off a hat trick.
Phantom
Dan took the measure of conditioned rivals on October 26 and posted an
easier-than-looks victory with Kennedy that evening. Moving up to the Open
ranks while assigned the outside post proved no problem for the bay gelding at
most recent asking, as he once again zipped right top and prevailed by a length
and a quarter as the 3-5 favorite in that affair.
One
And Only was making his first appearance since a summer campaign at Vernon
Downs and was a solid runner-up last week. The Bettor’s Delight offspring has
gone a number of big miles over this layout and will be looking to turn the
tables for owners Richard Morita and David Yamada, conditioner Lino Pacheco and
driver Luke Plano.
Franks
Best is a multiple stakes winner who comes into this assignment with nearly
$180,000 on his card and a 1:56 2/5 mark. He is owned, trained and was bred by
Bob Johnson and Mooney Svendsen will once again handle the lines behind the
6-year-old son of Armbro Scribe.
The
Johnson colorbearer got the job done at the head of the class on opening week,
looping the field turning for home to win going away by a length and a half,
then had to settle for a second and a third in his next two outings. Franks
Best returned to his winning ways in the last clash among the best trotters on
the grounds, making a big move by the half to the lead, opening up
straightening for home and then just holding over a fast-closing Axle.
The
latter is a 4-year-old who was claimed for $5,000 in August at Running Aces and
has recorded two sharp wins and two seconds in the interim for owners Dave
Siegel, Bob Thronson, Greg Robinson and George Reider. Reider is the
conditioner and co-owner Siegel will once again be at the controls.
