Shark Festival is on
the attack
By Mark Ratzky, publicity – Cal Expo Harness
Shark Festival has rattled
off back-to-back impressive victories here for Medinah Racing and Scott
Ehrlich, with Kathie Plested and Steve Wiseman taking care of business on the
training and driving end.
“Medinah Racing is the
partnership of George McChrystal and Mark Kremen,” related Ehrlich. “We’re all
Chicago born and raised guys who met up at the Chicago harness tracks. For me
and George, it was in the early 80s, which also included Fairmount Park.”
After a couple of needed
efforts to start off the meet, Shark Festival has been all Jaws as she has done
the stalk-and-pounce to perfection for Wiseman while working her way closer to
the $100,000 mark in career earnings.
“George and I watch races
from everywhere in hopes of finding a diamond in the rough,” Scott explained.
“One of the tracks George was watching was Century Downs in Alberta. What
caught his eye was her breeding, her ‘look of a real horse’, her spurts of
talent and that she was using an older race bike.
“He called me one day asking
me to watch the replays of her most recent races. After I did, we felt if he we
could obtain her and get her into the Wiseman stable and their program, that
between Steve and Kathie and their fine crew, that would be a good fit.
“Since we’ve gotten her,
especially here at Cal Expo, she’s gained quite a bit of weight and really
looks the part. And from that has come two straight wins. We know she gets her
toughest test stepping up to the filly and mare Open this week, but she did win
the filly and mare Open at Century over some quality mares and did it handily
in first-over fashion.”
Ehrlich added, “We have high
hopes for her.” So far, so good.
Open Trot brings out
Silverlode, Flameon
A $5,500 Open Trot that finds
Silverlode and Flameon continuing their rivalry and a $6,000 Filly and Mare
Open Pace that has lured some very sharp distaffers headline Saturday night’s
program at Cal Expo.
There will be 12 races on the
Watch and Wager LLC card with first post set for 6:10 p.m. In addition to the
two Opens, there will be an elimination heat for next week’s final of the
Robert Staats Series.
The Open Trot will go as the
third race on the evening with Silverlode doing his work from the assigned
outside post in the field of five, while arch-rival Flameon departs from just
to his inside. Zoraze, Windsun Galaxe and Winsom Kelly complete the cast.
Silverlode and Flameon have
met three times at this meeting, with the former capturing the first and third
meetings which were contested over off tracks, while Flameon prevailed in
between those two races on a fast track.
Silverlode is a 7-year-old
homebred daughter of British Sterling and the Website mare Charlotte’s Web who
is owned by Desomer Stables, takes her lessons from Vickie Desomer and will
have Steve Wiseman giving directions after Luke Plano did the honors in the
first three outings at this session.
Flameon is 6-year-old son of
Angus Hall who carries the banner of Mark Anderson with Gordie Graham the
conditioner and Chip Lackey handling the lines. He is looking for his 11th
win on the year from 21 trips to the post and will be drawn inside Silverlode
for the first time at the meeting.
The Filly and Mare Open
brings out a solid field of eight with Strings, Shark Festival, Directing
Traffic and Stable Eyes among the major players in what shapes up as a very
interesting contest.
