Crusin for You has sights on Robert
Staats Finale
By Mark Ratzky, publicity – Cal Expo Harness
After
making every pole a winning one in a division of the opening leg, Crusin For
You will attempt to nail down the Robert Staats Final on Sunday evening at Cal
Expo.
A
3-year-old Pennsylvania-bred son of Yankee Cruiser out of the Precious Bunny
mare You Are Precious, Cruisin For You carries the banner of Richard Morita and
David Yamada with Lino Pacheco training and Luke Plano once again in the sulky.
Sent
off the 7-5 second choice in last weekend’s try, which was his second
appearance at the meet, the bay colt went right to the front for Plano and was
able to dictate the fractions to his liking. At the wire, he had a length
favored Mistup Magic in a 1:57 2/5 tour.
“Crusin
for You is a pacer that we bought at a sale early in the year, and my partner
Dave picked him out,” said Morita. “ He was a lightly raced, and a small horse
that looked like he had some go when we watched replays. We raced him a
little for education in the spring, then gave him a full four to five months in
the field to grow up.
“While
he hasn't gotten much taller, he has filled out with some muscle and has
trained back nicely. Lino and his son, Jesse, have done a really good job
getting him ready for this season of racing. We have our fingers crossed
for this week's final, and know there are many tough competitors in the race.”
Among
those top competitors are Outlawsparkthewind and Musician, who finished one-two
in the other division of last week’s Staats in a sharp 1:55 mile, and Mistup
Magic, who will be gunning for a little revenge.
*******
A
reminder there are two wagers on the program that comes with a reduced 16
percent takeout rate. 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.
El Azteca, Staats Final command the
spotlight
The
$8,800 Robert Staats Pacing Series finale and a $6,000 Open I Handicap Trot
featuring El Azteca have top billing Sunday evening at Cal Expo
A
10-race card is on tap Sunday under the Watch and Wager LLC banner with first
post set for 5:10 p.m. The Staats finale will go as sixth race, while the Open
I Trot immediately follows as the seventh event on the program.
El
Azteca made a successful return to Cal Expo last weekend and has once again
been assigned the No. 10 position in the field of seven. Luke Plano will handle
the reins for owner/trainer/breeder Marco Rios.
Outlawsparkthewind
figures to be well backed in the Staats finale after scoring a very game
victory last weekend for the team of owner Drew Anderson, trainer Bob Johnson
and pilot Chip Lackey. The 4-year-old is a Canadian-bred son of Blue Burner and
established a lifetime mark with his 1:55 flat score here.
Outlawsparkthewind
was parked the journey in that affair while battling for the lead, then dug in
gamely in the stretch to prevail by a length over Musician for his second
snapshot on the season.
The
latter is a sophomore from the Vickie Desomer barn who made a solid late move
and looks to be sitting on a big effort. The Emilio Cisneros colorbearer will
once again be handled by James Kennedy and is looking for his second career
tally after earning his diploma over this layout back in late April.
Rounding out the field are Mistup
Magic, who gives the Johnson barn two looks at the outcome; the Kennedy
Lindsey-trained Whatcamacallum; Whata Bozness from the Edwin Quevedo shedrow;
Heartland Slushie for Steve Crump; the Junior Wilkinson trainee Lil Stevie
Oneder; and the Lino Pacheco-conditioned Crusin For You.
