Cal Expo Sunday Barn Notes

Live Love Laugh attempts the hat trick

By Mark Ratzky, publicity – Cal Expo Harness

Live Love Laugh, fresh from two powerful victories for Tim and Denise Maier, looks to keep the momentum going in Sunday’s night’s Open II Pace for fillies and mares. She will do her work from the assigned No. 10 post position.

An 11-race program is on tap Sunday and things will get underway at 4:50 p.m. There will also be a pair of $10,000 California Sire Stakes that will be decided as non-betting events prior to the regular card.

Live Love Laugh is a 5-year-old daughter of Hi Ho Silverheels out of the Little Steven mare Prettylittlerebel who is owned and trained by Denise Maier with husband Steve handling the lines. She was a 1:52 2/5 winner at Pocono Downs last season.

The bay mare proved in the January 30 Open while doing her work from the No. 7 slot that evening. She was hard used to the early lead, did the give-and-go by the half and went on to a two and a quarter-length score.

Wheeled back with this group last week, Live Love Laugh was bet down to 50 cents on the dollar and did not disappoint her many backers. Maier left into a tracking trip with his protégé, attacked once straightened away for the drive and proved clearly best while once again coming a :27 1/5 final quarter.

Looking for an upset this weekend are Blue Gem, who leaves from the cozy rail slot for trainer Harold Herrera; Internal Check, who gives the Maier barn two looks at the outcome; My Little Bit and Someislandsomewhere from the Gene Vallandingham shedrow; the Lino Pacheco-trained Lexie’s Delight; High Bet Hanover from Tim Brown’s barn and the Steve Wiseman-trained Part Time Lady.

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For this week and the next, the trotters and pacers will be in action on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, Feb 13-15 and 20-22.

Antoniades lends expertise On Windy City simulcasts 

Mike Antoniades, who was a Cal Expo visitor last month, is the racing analyst at both Balmoral and Maywood Park and was asked for some handicapping tips when it comes to navigating the Chicago simulcasts.

Balmoral is a mile track like Cal Expo, while the other harness racing in the area is conducted over the sister half-mile track Maywood Park. Both are offered to Cal Expo players as part of the simulcasting package.

“As far as Balmoral and Cal Expo are concerned, they are very similar when it comes to handicapping the races,” Antoniades explained. “Balmoral is one of the few East Coast tracks where you don’t have a distinct speed bias and you can close from far back in the six or seven path and win.

“That’s something the track has in common with Cal Expo, where speed isn’t always golden.”

Mike also had a handicapping tip when it comes to comparing horses who are racing at Balmoral and those who are doing their work on the smaller Maywood Park layout. “Generally speaking, the horses who are racing at Balmoral have to be athletic, because they have to race the entire mile, while the Maywood races are more about racing early and late.”

Having said that, Antoniades tends to give horses moving from Balmoral to Maywood an extra look. “They get extra credit, and conversely, those who last raced at Maywood Park have a bit more to prove to me when they come to Balmoral.”

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A reminder that there are four wagers offered here each night with a reduced 16% takeout rate. They are the 50-cent Pick 5; the 20-cent Pick which comes with a $25,000-guaranteed pool; and the Jackpot 6 and Hi-5, which are both 10-cent minimum bets.