Smith’s trotting mare
shows right Spark
By Mark Ratzky, publicity – Cal Expo Harness
After knocking on the door in
her first four starts this year, Blue Spark got her picture taken last week in
emphatic fashion for owner/trainer Gretchen Smith with son Sean at the
controls.
The 5-year-old trotting
daughter of Valley Victory came up on the wrong end of a nose photo in her
previous mile, but left no doubt in last Saturday night’s opener as she won
going away despite a long journey.
“I bought her last August in
Ohio,” Gretchen related after the victory. “She had conditions and I figured
she would fit class-wise out here. It also looked like she could handle the
smaller tracks back East during the summer.”
There have been some breaking
problems along the way, but if her last two efforts are any indication, Blue
Spark has put things together and has the majority of her issues behind her at
this point.
“It was really just a matter
of getting her head on straight,” Smith explained. “She’s pleasant around the
barn, but at the same time she can also be cantankerous. We’ve tried some
different things and learned that you pretty much have to give her head when
she’s racing.”
Gretchen was very pleased
with Blue Spark’s recent score, which found a gap of nearly three lengths back
to the nearest rival while stopping the timer in 1:57 2/5 that evening.
“If you watch Sean, you’ll
see that she could have gone a lot faster. Hopefully, we’ve figured her out.”
As for summer plans, Smith
said the trotter would more than likely go to Pennsylvania with her son and
could also make stops at Yonkers and Saratoga in New York, both half-mile
tracks.
Barbarian has top
billing in Open Pace
Barbarian, going in razor-sharp
form with back-to-back scores at the head of the class, sets his sights on a
hat trick in Friday night’s featured $6,600 Open Pace.
Watch and Wager LLC has
scheduled 12 races Friday evening with first post set for 6:10 p.m. The
headliner goes as the eighth event on the program.
Barbarian is a 6-year-old son
of Somebeachsomewhere out of the Western Ideal mare Rightous Renee who carries
the banner of Robert Orr, is conditioned by Sparky Clarke and will once again
have Luke Plano at the controls.
The hard-hitting performer
was 7-2 when he made every pole a winning one in the February 24 Open as Plano
was able to carve out the fractions without challenge and came to the line with
four and a half-lengths on his nearest rival in a sparkling 1:52 4/5 mile.
For his most recent
assignment, Barbarian left from the outside slot in a field of seven and was
dispatched as the 6-5 favorite. Once again they were able to set the tune up
front, this time with fairly modest splits, and held safe by a neck over a fast-finishing
Doc’s Deal that evening.
Taking him on, from the rail
out, are Lodi Machete Man, Why Asky Why, Jazzmanian Devil, Docs Deal, China
King and Pancetta.
Saturday night’s main event
is the Open Trot, with Silverlode once again being asked to do her work from
the assigned 10 post while looking for her fourth straight win on the year at
the head of the class.
