Cenaltafirecracker
getting some post position relief
By Mark Ratzky, publicity – Cal
Expo Harness
In terms of post position, Cenaltafirecracker is
going from the equivalent of the basement to the penthouse when it comes to her
assignment in Sunday night’s 11th race.
The 4-year-pld pacing mare, who is owned and trained
by Steve Crump, hasn’t drawn inside the No. 5 slot in her last five trips to
the post, including last week’s start where she had the outside in a field of
nine.
Despite that poor post, Cenaltafirecracker turned in
an excellent mile that evening with James Kennedy at the helm, coming from last
to rally for third while turning in a sparkling :27 1/5 final quarter. Brewski
and Clara Bea, the two mares who beat her, are both suiting up earlier on the
card in a Sire Stakes.
“I guess she was due for a little luck when it comes
to post position,” Crump noted when asked about the 4-year-old daughter of
Allamerican Merlin. “She finished really strong the other night and now she
gets the rail, so she should be pretty tough if she turns in that same effort.”
Crump noted that the bay performer is pretty good
around the barn and knows what has to be done once the gate gets rolling, but
can be a handful in between. “She’s fine around the barn and all business
during a race, but she does have her quirks when it comes to scoring down.
“She really keeps her driver on his toes, because
she can be pretty timid waiting for the race to start and will spook at a lot
of things. The earplugs help, because any odd sounds put her on edge.”
Speaking of sounds, what Crump would like to hear
Sunday night is track announcer Gary Seibel saying something close to, “Now
entering the winner’s circle is Cenaltafirecracker.”
Brewski, J’s Littlerockstar headline
Sire Stakes
A $10,000 California Sire Stakes for the 4-year-old
pacing fillies featuring J’s Littlerockstar and Brewski gets the marquee
treatment at Cal Expo Sunday evening.
There will be 13 races under the Watch and Wager LLC
banner with a first post of 4:55 p.m. The Sire Stakes goes as the third on the
evening with a field of six scheduled to face starter Kenny Fowler.
J’s Littlerockstar is a daughter of Little Steven
out of the Pacific Fella mare Sweet Sakra Sue who is owned, trained, driven and
was bred by James Kennedy. She has several stakes trophies on her mantle and
has posed for pictures following the last two Sire Stakes decided for this
division.
Brewski and Clara Bea will give trainer Junior
Wilkinson a strong one-two punch in the headliner. Billie Schwartz and
Wilkinson co-own Brewski, while they are partners on Clara Bea along with Ivan
Axelrod and Don Rachford.
Luke Plano will guide the multiple stakes winning
Brewski, who was disqualified from her victory in the January 4 Sire Stakes and
then missed by a head to J’s Littlerockstar in the most recent big-money clash
on January 18.
The Wilkinson trainee proved a punctual 3-5 favorite
in last week’s assignment, brushing to the front for Plano by the quarter and
going on to a half-length victory over stablemate Clara Bea in that conditioned
event. The latter will once again have Chip Lackey in the sulky this weekend.
Rounding out the cast are La Diva De Rosa, who takes
her lessons from Lester Smith and has Edward Hernandez guiding; De Valeria, a
George Reider trainee with Tim Maier at the controls; and the Rick
Cisco-conditioned Duet with Steve Wiseman in the sulky.
