Hi Ho’s Little Rev a pacer to watch
By Mark
Ratzky, publicity – Cal Expo Harness
The way Hi Ho’s Little Rev has been
picking up his game with each start, he’s likely a force to be reckoned with
when the first Sire Stakes for the 3-year-old pacing males rolls around next
week.
The son of Hi Ho Silverheel’s races for
Vannessa Gilliam, takes his lessons from Bob Johnson and has been handled in
each of his appearances by Mooney Svendsen, who is high on the gelding. “He’s a
little guy, but he’s growing and he’s definitely got the right attitude,” said
Svendsen.
Hi Ho’s Little Rev went a mile in 2:04
1/5 in his first qualifier, took a second off that time in his second practice
mile, was third with a 2:01 4/5 clocking in his first official start and then
romped home by five and a half lengths at most recent asking while stopping the
clock in a snappy 1:57 1/5 that evening.
“Bob wanted us to go about 2:04 in that
first qualifier and that’s what we did,” Mooney noted. “He was green that day
and also pretty much all over the track in the second qualifier when he cut out
all the pace.
“For the first start under the lights,
Bob put some cheater cups on him and he went right to the front, got covered up
and then finished real well. We were real happy with the effort.”
In last week’s tour, Hi Ho’s Little Rev
sat a pocket journey, ignited in the stretch and shaved a full four and
three-fifths seconds off his standard in a race where he admittedly had some
trouble behind him.
“He was absolutely flawless that night,”
his pilot related. “He couldn’t be coming up to next week’s first stakes any
better.” With a few other newly-turned sophomores showing some promise of late,
it figures to be interesting.
Guarantee increased on low-takeout Pick 4
Watch
and Wager LLC, the operator of Cal Expo Harness, has increased the guarantee on
the 16% takeout Pick 4 from $20,000 to $30,000 for the remainder of January.
A
10-race card is on tap Friday with first post set at 6:40 p.m. Racing is now
being conducted three nights a week with the trotters and pacers in action on
Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.
The
Pick 4 is one of four wagers offered on each program with that reduced 16%
takeout rate. In addition to the 20-cent Pick 4; there is the 50-cent Pick 5;
the 10-cent Jackpot 6 and the 10-cent Hi-Five on the nightcap.
To
help players get a head start, announcer Gary Seibel and handicapper Dave
Brower do an informative and entertaining simulcast seminar prior to the Pick 4
that has proven to be very popular.
Friday’s
feature is a conditioned pace that finds the multiple stakes-winning King Of
The Crop from the Gordie Graham barn taking on a strong field while doing his
work from the No. 7 post with Bruce Clarke at the controls.
Looking
ahead to Saturday, El Azteca and Its Not Over, who have divided up all the top
dances for the trotting set at this meeting, go at it once again in the
featured Open Trot.
El
Azteca is a 6-year-old son of Panama Hanover who comes into this assignment
with three victories from the seven Open Trots during this stand, while
arch-rival Its Not Over has posed following the other four. El Azteca is owned,
trained and was bred by Marco Rios and James Kennedy once again has the
assignment.
