By Mark Ratzky, publicity – Cal Expo Harness
A
Pick 5 Carryover of $8,619 with a $25,000-guaranteed gross pool; a pair of
$10,000 California Sire Stakes headed by Placer and De Valeria; and the second
leg of the Alan Kirschenbaum and Richard Staley Pacing series are in the
spotlight Friday evening at Cal Expo.
The
Pick 5 is a 50-cent wager that begins on the third race and in addition to the
$25,000 guaranteed pool there is a reduced 16 percent takeout. That 16 percent
take also applies to the 20-cent Pick 4 and the 10-cent Hi-Five on the finale.
The
second leg of the Alan Kirschenbaum Series matches first leg winners Larry
Horse and Nutmegs Davey; and the second leg of the Richard Staley Series is
headed by opening leg victor Big Guy To Win.
Larry
Horse is one of the most popular performers on the grounds and proved a
punctual 6-5 favorite in his division of the first leg of the Kirschenbaum last
weekend. The 12-year-old son of Sportsmaster races for Jesse Pacheco and
Kristin Schwab, is conditioned by Lino Pacheco and will once again have Luke
Plano guiding.
Larry
Horse was winning for the third time in his last four starts and pushed his
earnings to $229,000 with a 1:52 4/5 mark. His last two tallies have been
accomplished in similar fashion, tracking early for Plano and then attacking
first-over to get the job done, with last week’s margin being a comfortable two
and a quarter lengths.
Nutmegs
Daisy accounted for the other Kirschenbaum division last week for owner Osmin
Carrera, trainer Dario Solares and pilot Dave Siegel. The son of Jennas Beach
Boy made every pole a winning one at 5-1 in that affair, showing the way home
by two and a quarter lengths over 4-5 favorite Yiannoulas Boy.
Meanwhile,
Kimberley Hines’ Big Guy To Win captured the opening leg of the Staley in a
coast-to-coast performance with Mooney Svendsen in the sulky. George Reider
trains the 9-year-old son of Towner’s Big Guy. In the Sire Stakes, Placer and
De Valeria are both looking for repeat big-money tallies in their respective
divisions.
Big Guy To Win
casts a large shadow
Big
Guy To Win left little doubt in last week’s opening leg of the Richard Staley
Pacing series for owner Kimberley Hines, trainer George Reider and driver
Mooney Svendsen, making every pole a winning one while never appearing to be in
danger.
“They
named this pacer right,” his conditioner remarked. “He’s probably the biggest
horse on the grounds at over 17 hands, and he’s not exactly the easiest horse
to trainer because he has a mind of his own.
“You
can see in the post parade that needs the outrider, and that really helps. He
doesn’t have what you would call the biggest motor, but he has a big set of
lungs and a big heart and that kind of compensates for the small engine.”
The
9-year-old Ohio-bred son of Towner’s Big Guy has earned his $82,000 bank account
the old-fashioned way, with his 1:55 lifetime standard being established two
years ago. He was winning for the first time in six starts this season with his
Staley snapshot that featured Reider and a beaming owner/assistant trainer
Hines.
“Kimberley
has owned him for five years now and he’s the closest thing we have in the barn
to a family horse. They always take rides down the American River, and if she
could, I’m sure Kim would build a room for him at her house.”
Big
Guy To Win is back in action in the second leg of the Staley and he’ll do his work from the outside post in
the field of seven. “Hopefully we can keep him sharp through the series,”
Reider added.
The
race goes as the ninth on a 14-race card with first post set for 5:25 p.m. The second
leg of the Alan Kirschenbaum is the seventh race; the Sire Stakes for trotters is set as the second event, while
the Sire Stakes for the pacing fillies occupies the 10th-race slot
on the evening.
