Edwin Quevado finds
calling with trotters, pacers
By Mark Ratzky, publicity – Cal Expo Harness
Edwin Quevado, who is approaching his third year as a trainer here at Cal Expo, has one of the more interesting resumes on the track. Edwin actually started with the thoroughbreds and spent six years working for three of the top trainers in Southern California.
“I started out working with
Carla Gaines and was with her for four years,” Quevado related. “I worked for
Bobby Frankel for about six months, and then spent the rest of my time at the
thoroughbreds with Neil Drysdale.”
The late Frankel and Drysdale
are both in the Hall of Fame, while Gaines is one of the most respected
conditioners in the state. “I had the chance to be around some very good horses
during those years and learned a lot,” he said.
It was only by chance that
Edwin ended up with the standardbreds. “I was on vacation and visiting a friend
here in 2006 and fell in love the trotters and pacers,” he explained. “It was
the first time I’d actually been around them, and I knew this is where I wanted
to be.”
Quevado did his
apprenticeship with Gilbert Herrera and Matias Ruiz and has established himself
as a solid trainer in his own right since taking out his license. “What I
really love about the harness horses is that you can get much more involved
with them than with the thoroughbreds. There is a lot of satisfaction when you
win a race.”
Edwin had a hat trick last
Saturday evening, getting his picture taken with Ray’s Rayzer, Whata Bizness
and Janet Rose, all three of which he also owns.
From his 93 starters sent out
at this meet, Quevado has returned to greet 14 in the charmed enclosure with 41
of them making the board.
Alan Kirschenbaum
finale matches sophomore trotters
Kissed The Boys, perfect in
two trips to the post including a victory in the first leg, looks to continue
the momentum in Sunday night’s featured Alan Kirschenbaum Series final for
3-year-old trotters.
There will be 12 races Sunday
with a first post time of 4:55 p.m. The main event will go as the third race
and shares top billing with an Open III contest for the trotters and an Open
III for the pacing set.
Kissed The Boys is a homebred
daughter of Claudius Augustus out of the champion Website mare who races for
the Desomer Stables with Vickie Desomer training and husband Steve handling the
lines.
Sent off at 33-1 in her debut
two weeks ago in the first leg of the Alan Kirschenbaum over a sloppy track,
Kissed The Boys turned in a game performance to prevail by a half-length over
Lodi Bank Robber.
Wheeled back in a conditioned
event last week, the bay filly came up with another big effort to hang on for a
nose decision over 1-10 favorite Kickitwithkohler with a 1:59 3/5 score over a
track labeled “good” that night.
Taking her on from the rail
out: My Little Susie with Chip Lackey; CW Raisenette, Steve Wiseman; Delta
Breezeoflodi, to be handled by William Hernandez; Sixstringsandapick, Pierre
Girard; and Lodi Bank Robber with Luke Plano.
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Next week will find the
trotters and pacers in action on Friday and Saturday, February 5 and 6, with no
live racing on Super Bowl Sunday, February 7.
