Knittel, Johnson loaded
for Sire Stakes
By Mark Ratzky, publicity – Cal Expo Harness
Owner/breeders Wayne and Rod
Knittel and trainer Bob Johnson are sitting pretty in both male pacing Sire
Stakes divisions here at Cal Expo, with Allyx’sliventexas heading the
4-year-old contingency and the promising Army Of One eyeing this weekend’s
first stakes dance for the 3-year-old colts.
Allmyx’sliventexas made a
shambles of the initial stakes gathering for the 4-year-old males last weekend,
demolishing the field by 11 lengths while shaving a cool three seconds off his
lifetime standard with the 1:51 4/5 clocking for Mooney Svendsen.
“That was the biggest mile
he’s ever gone,” Johnson related after the score. “I thought he’d be set for a
good one, because he’d had an outside post in his last couple and had been
making up a lot of ground, but I have to say the time surprised me.
“He’ll get a week off now and
just point for the last three stakes races here. Then we’ll go from there.”
Like Allmyx’sliventexas, Army
Of One is a homebred son of Hi Ho Silverheel’s who races for the Knittels and
Johnson and looks to have a world of potential. He was a 1:57 3/5 victor in
just his second lifetime start, then came back last week to turn in a bang-up
second to heavily-favored Indiana invader Gorgeous For Real in a 1:54 3/5 tour.
“I was very impressed by his
last race, because I know Junior (trainer Jim Wilkinson) is very high on the
winner. For a 3-year-old to turn in a mile like that in just his third start,
that’s saying something.”
Army Of One is set to make
his stakes debut Saturday night with Svendsen at the controls, and a repeat of
either of his last two efforts is going to make him tough to deny as he attempts
to follow in his stablemate’s footsteps.
One And Only, I’m An
Athlete battle
A $6,600 Open Pace and the
first California Sire Stakes of the season for the 3-year-old trotters are the
main attractions on Friday night’s Cal Expo program.
Watch and Wager LLC will
present 13 races on Friday, with first post set for 5:55 p.m. The Open Pace
will go as the seventh race on the evening, while the Sire Stakes is a
non-betting affair decided prior to the regular program.
One And Only and I’m An
Athlete were assigned the outside two slots in the Open, with the former
leaving from the No. 9 post while I’m An Athlete will depart from the outside
in the field of 10.
One And Only is a 9-year-old
son of Bettor’s Delight out of the Western Hanover mare Gallie Too who is owned
by Richard Morita and David Yamada, is conditioned by Lino Pachecho and will be
guided by Luke Plano.
The hard-hitting performer
comes into this assignment with $245,000 in his account and a 1:51 2/5 mark
that was established three years ago. Sent off the 3-2 choice in the most
recent clash at the head of the class, One And Only did not disappoint the
chalkplayers as he made every pole a winning one with Plano while prevailing by
two lengths in a 1:53 1/5 tour.
I’m An Athlete was the
runner-up that evening and will be looking for a little revenge this weekend.
The 7-year-old son of Art Major goes about his business for Ronald
Rettig-Zucchi with James Kennedy reining and training.
A 1:51 2/5 victor over this
layout last season, I’m An Athlete captured nine of his 35 trips to the post
last year and started 2017 with a game neck decision over One And only in the
January 13 Open Pace while taking the field start to finish in that contest.
With the outside assignment, the journey into the first turn will obviously be
very important.
