By Mark Ratzky, publicity – Cal Expo Harness
Saturday’s
Cal Expo program features the Shelly Goudreau Pace; a $9,900 carryover in the
Hi-5 with a $35,000 guaranteed pool and a $28,540 carryover in the Jackpot 6.
A
13-race card is on tap with first post at 6:10 p.m. The 10-cent Hi-5 will be
decided on the final race and is one of four wagers offered on the program with
a reduced 16% takeout rate.
The
others are the 50-cent Pick 5; the 20-cent Pick 4 that has a $25,000 guaranteed
pool; and the Jackpot 6, which like the Hi-5 is a 10-cent wager and has that
$28,540 carryover going into Saturday’s program.
A
field of seven is set to line up for the $7,400 Goudreau Pace, which will
occupy the sixth-race slot on the evening. The likely favorite is
Rikybrnthegaragdwn, who has been runner-up in all five of his appearances this
season, including a pair of Sire Stakes where he was beaten a nose and a neck.
A
4-year-old son of Living It Up out of the Sportsmaster mare Sports Bra,
Rickybrnthegaragdwn is owned by Maryann Plano and Nikki Hudson with Luke Plano
reining and training. He was a 1:53 2/5 winner here last season.
Taking
him on from the rail out are Put To The Test with Tim Maier; Tony Cheesecake,
who will be guided by James Kennedy; Two Willow Dragon, Steve Wiseman; Lil
Stevie Oneder with Chip Lackey; Bettor’s Promise for Bruce Clarke; and Pamsfoolishterror,
who has the services of Mooney Svendsen.
*******
This
week will find the trotters and pacers in action on Saturday and Sunday, while
the following two weeks will have racing on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights,
February 13-15 and 20-22.
Race honors memory of Shelly Goudreau
Saturday evening’s featured Shelly Goudreau Pace is
named for the one of the most talented drivers to ever ply the trade. He passed
away in a racing accident at Hollywood Park in 1982.
The young Goudreau got his driving license
in 1966 at age 18 and soon led all drivers at Windsor Raceway for two
consecutive years. It wasn’t long before he ventured to the U.S. to compete at
several Michigan tracks.
In 1977, Goudreau made the trek to
California and immediately went to the top of the driving colony there. While
competing at Hollywood Park and Los Alamitos, he won the most races and earned
the most purse monies on that circuit for two consecutive years.
He came back East to compete at Roosevelt
and Yonkers and won many major stakes in New York, including the $200,000
George Morton Levy Pace in 1979 in track-record time at Roosevelt. He drove at
the Meadowlands and was once again successful. He competed there against
another “up-and-coming” driver named John Campbell as well as a familiar face
from home in Ray Remmen.
It was 1981 athat proved Goudreau’s best
season. He competed in both the Hambletonian (with Santa Ana) and the Little
Brown Jug (with Freedom Fella). He won 170 races and earned $2.3 million in
purses that year. These were gaudy numbers for the then 33-year-old.
During his career he was responsible for
the success of such horses as Genghis Khan (p, 1:51.4 $983,467), Try Scotch (p, 1:54.3 $956,770), Tijuana Taxi (p, 1:54.3 $784,306), Apollo’s Way (p, 1:56 $502,536), Freedom Fella (p, 1:54.4 $491,790), Tender Loving Care (p, 1:52.4 $327,822) and Superman (1:58.1 $140,794).
In his short career he amassed 2,291 wins
and $12,942,265 in purse money. At the time of his death he was eighth in the
North American driver standings. He was inducted in the Canadian Harness Racing
Hall of Fame in 1983.
