Mooney Svendsen savors stakes double helping
By Mark Ratzky, publicity – Cal
Expo Harness
Last Sunday night was a memorable one for Mooney
Svendsen as he guided Zoeys Delight to her first Sire Stakes victory, then came
back less than an hour later to pick up another stakes score with Avila Beach.
Both fillies hail from the Bob Johnson barn and they
were pulling off minor upsets in the process. Zoeys Delight was getting the
advantage on powerful stablemate Sandy’s Song for the first time in the
trotting event, while Wayne and Rod Knittel’s homebred Avila Beach prevailed in
a very contentious pacing affair while returning $15 to her backers.
“Zoeys Delight has been coming around since adding
Lasix,” Svendsen related. “She just hadn’t been able to get close to Sandy’s
Song and wasn’t coming up with that pop. This time I noticed something
different around the middle of the last turn, and when I wheeled her out she
marched right by.”
Up until this point, it was Sandy’s Song who
had hogged the spotlight by prevailing in the first six stakes dances for the
division, but last weekend was Zoeys Delight’s turn to shine and earn the barn
bragging rights.
Two races later, Mooney was back in the winner’s
circle following the Sire Stakes for the sophomore pacing distaffers with Avila
Beach, who was winning for the second straight time and recording her fourth
win from seven appearances for Team Knittel and Johnson.
“We lucked out and got the best possible trip and
she really fired when I asked her,” Svendsen noted. “She showed she was
starting to come around the previous week when she won for Steve (Wiseman), and
she’s obviously getting much better.”
There will be one more Sire Stakes opportunity for
this group next week and then they’ll have to wait until the fall for the
California stakes action to start up again. As for Mooney, at the conclusion of
this meet in three weeks he’ll be headed home to Minnesota for the trotting and
pacing action at Running Aces.
High Bet
Hanover, Part Time Lady do battle
High
Bet Hanover, fresh from a sharp score last weekend; and Part Time Lady, who
hits very hard at this level; get the marquee treatment in the featured Distaff
Open on Sunday night at Cal Expo.
A
10-race card is on tap with first post set for 5 p.m. and through the end of
the Watch and Wager LLC meet purses have been raised 10 percent across the
board.
High
Bet Hanover is a 7-year-old daughter of Bettor’s Delight out of the Artsplace
mare Highland Dextar who is owned by Kc C Carvalho with Tim Brown the
conditoner and Luke Plano once again at the helm.
The
bay mare was a sharp victress when she prevailed here on March 1, then had to
settle for minor awards in her ensuing five appearances before returning to the
charmed enclosure after last week’s Distaff Open in a powerful performance.
Sent
off as the 3-1 second choice in that affair, High Bet Hanover was reserved
early by Plano, rallied with second-over cover to the stretch and ignited when
it counted to hang a neck decision on favored Love Live Laugh while lowering
her mark to 1:52 4/5 that night.
Taking her on are Part Time Lady, who has
the outside slot for Steve Wiseman; Rag Doll with Mooney Svendsen; Blue Gem for
Harold Herrera; Country Jewel, who will have the services of David Siegel; and
Lady’s Art, who has the cozy rail post.
**********
A
reminder that there are four wagers offered each night that come with a reduced
16% takeout rate. They are the Jackpot 6 and Hi-5, which are both 10-cent
minimum bets; the 50-cent Pick 5; and the 20-cent Pick 4, which has a
$25,000-guaranteed pool as part of the USTA Strategic Wagering Program.
