Race honors memory of
Lloyd Arnold
By Mark Ratzky, publicity – Cal Expo Harness
Saturday’s Lloyd Arnold Pace is named for the
famed horse owner and track operator of the highest caliber. He passed away in 2012 at the age of 83. Originally the owner of Arnold Cattle Co. in Iowa, Mr. Arnold raced hundreds of horses in Illinois and across the Midwest throughout the 1960s and early 1970s.
During that era, Mr. Arnold raced horses like Warm Breeze, who earned more than $250,000 in two seasons of racing in the mid-1970s, and Dancing David, who earned more than $200,000 in the 1960s. Warm Breeze took Mr. Arnold to racings pinnacle for the first time when he set the all-age world record at over this track, then known as Golden Bear Raceway.
His top horses in later years included the pacing mare Sanabelle Island, who earned $1.6 million lifetime and won 57 of 110 starts. Also of note was Bagel Beach Boy, who won the 2001 Messenger and Matron stakes.
In August 2003, Mr. Arnold bought Chevie Duramax, who then went on to set world records for 2-year-old pacing geldings on both mile and half-mile tracks. The fastest 3-year-old pacer in North America in 2004 belonged to Mr. Arnold as Quik Pulse Mindale won in 1:48 at Balmoral.
In addition to being a prominent standardbred owner, Mr. Arnold operated this track during those Golden Bear Raceway years and also bought Los Alamitos in the late 1980s, eventually selling the track to his partner, Ed Allred.
Mr. Arnold was inducted into the California Harness Hall of Fame in April of 2008. He also enjoyed personal honors in 2001 when he was feted by the Delaware Sportswriters and Broadcasters at their annual awards dinner and received the Owner of the Year Award from the U.S. Harness Writers' Association.
Chris Bardis said, “Harness Racing was one of Lloyd's great passions. He accomplished so much for the sport not only in California, but nationwide. He was Mr. Harness Racing.
“He conducted race meetings at Cal Expo, Bay Meadows, Golden Gate Fields, Del Mar, Pomona, Hollywood Park and Los Alamitos. I know of no one else who has had a greater impact on the harness world.”
Barbarian headlines Lloyd Arnold Pace
Barbarian, who has captured
five of the last six top dances here, heads the cast for Saturday night’s
featured $10,000 Lloyd Arnold Pace.
There will be 11 races
presented under the banner of Watch and Wager LLC and the card will get
underway at 6:15 p.m. There will also be a pair of California Sire Stakes for
3-year-old pacers decided before the regular program.
Barbarian is a 6-year-old son
of Somebeachsomewhere out of the Western Ideal mare Righteous Renee who races for
owner Robert Orr, takes his lessons from Sparky Clarke and will once again be
guided by Luke Plano from the cozy rail slot in the field of seven.
He had a four-race winning
streak snapped by I’m An Athlete two back, carving out all the fractions in that
affair before being collared right on the money. He was very game in his
previous four scores, including one from the demanding No. 10 post, putting his
class and versatility on display in the process.
Barbarian returned to his
winning ways in last week’s Open, as he sat back early and then exploded when
asked in the stretch to be up by three-quarters of a length over Jazzmanian
Devil in a sharp 1:52 1/5 tour, which is three ticks off his lifetime standard.
I’m An Athlete is a
7-year-old son of Art Major out of the Cam’s Card Shark mare Female Champs who
is owned by Ronald Rettig-Zucchi, is trained by Lino Pacheco and will have the
services of James Kennedy. He upset Barbarian two back in a strong performance
over a track labeled good.
Rounding out the field for
the Arnold are Bettor’s Promise with Tony Succarotte; Allymx’sliventexas,
Mooney Svendsen; Anderlecht, who gives the Clarke barn two looks at the
outcome; Jazzmanian Devil with Steve Wiseman; and the second Pacheco trainee in
Pancetta, who will do his work from the outside post.
