Katie Mouse is looking mighty these days
By Mark Ratzky, publicity – Cal Expo Harness
The
3-year-old trotting filly Katie Mouse appears to have acclimated nicely to her
new home, scoring back-to-back wins for the team of owner Stephen Grollneck,
trainer Kennedy Lindsey and pilot Luke Plano.
The
Illinois-bred daughter of Armbro Tropicana captured three of her 19 starts
before joining the Lindsey barn and moving her act to the West Coast, and has
now posed for pictures the last two weeks while establishing a new mark in the
process.
“I
bought her from someone I know in Illinois who was looking to sell,” Lindsey
related when asked about the bay miss. “It looked like she would fit out here
and would benefit by racing on a mile track.”
After
a needed effort with her trainer in the bike, Katie Mouse was paired with Plano
for the first time on November 15 and came with a nice late charge to get the
job done by a half-length as a 7-1 shot.
Sent
off an even-money co-choice last week, they took advantage of the rail post and
made every pole a winning one while prevailing by three-quarters of a length
over the pocket sitter.
“Luke
said she was real good in that first win,” Kennedy said. “We were going to play
it by ear as far as the tactics go last time, and she just went right to the
front. I was pretty confident the entire way, although I know she’s the type of
horse who waits a bit on them.”
Can
Katie Mouse keep the momentum going and complete a hat trick? Stay tuned.
Quality Sport, BB’s Harley in main event
Quality
Sport, who has used a strong closing kick to win two of his last three starts;
and BB’s Harley, his most immediate victim last time, get another chance to
settle the score in Saturday night’s featured $5,000 Open I Pace.
A
12-race program is on tap with the headliner going as the third event on the
evening and a first post of 6:10 p.m., while racing continues Sunday with
things getting underway at 5:10 p.m.
Quality
Sport is a 7-year-old son of Sportsmaster who carries the banner of Ronald and
Tammy Wells and is reined and trained by Steve Wiseman. He comes into this
assignment with seven wins from his 36 starts on the year with a lifetime mark
of 1:53 1/5 that was set this summer at Running Aces.
The
dark-hued pacer came from well back to post a neck upset at 10-1 on November 7
with Tony Succorotte at the controls, had to settle for third at next asking
and then came calling late with trainer Wiseman in his last outing to prevail
by a half-length over BB’s Harley while returning $20 to his backers.
BB’s
Harley is a 3-year-old from the Gene Vallandingham shedrow who races for A
Piece Of The Action LLC with Williams Hernandez in the sulky. He registered
solid front-end victories on October 31 and November 14, led the way to deep
stretch in that last tour but was unable to contain Quality Sport at crunch
time.
Rounding
out the field are Endeavors King, who gives the Vallandingham barn another look
at the outcome from the cozy rail slot; I’m Real Good from the Lino Pacheco
shedrow; and At Last for Grodie Graham.
*******
A
reminder there are two wagers on the program that come with a reduced 16
percent takeout race. They are the 50-cent Pick 5, which this season features a
25 percent minor pool payout; and the 20-cent Pick 4, which comes with a
$25,000-guaranteed gross pool.
