By Mark Ratzky, publicity – Cal Expo Harness
Mystery Dragon, who has
posted three impressive victories since arriving from Canada, looms an
overwhelming favorite in Saturday night’s $8,300Bill Conlin Memorial Pace.
An 11-race card is on tap
under the Watch and Wager LLC banner with first post set for 6:10. The Conlin
will go as the sixth event on the program.
Mystery Dragon is a
3-year-old son of Mystery Chase who is owned and trained by Richard Schneider
and will once again be handled by Nick Roland. He has dominated his rivals in
all three appearances at this meet.
Sent off at 2-1 in his local
debut on November 11, he came first-over for Roland at the half and went on to
a convincing three and a quarter-length decision, lowering his lifetime
standard to 1:54 1/5 in the process.
Mystery Dragon was a punctual
4-5 choice at next asking after being hard-used early to command from an
outside slot, then was the 3-5 chalk in last week’s Bill Conlin Prep and did
not disappoint his many backers as he never looked like a loser on the front
end and came to the line with a length and a quarter on Richellu Cowboy.
The latter is another
Canadian-bred miss who races for Quentin and Kimberly Schneider with Quentin
the conditioner and Steve Wiseman in the bike. She was able to leave into a
nice trip in last week’s Prep and came home well to gain the place spot in an
improved effort.
Rounding out the field are
Lilbitofmama with James Kennedy; Herecomesthethundr, William Hernandez; He
Grins Again, Luke Plano; Crash and Burn with Chip Lackey guiding;
Lilmessinaround, Ryan Grundy; and He’s a Navajo, to be piloted from the outside
by Tony Succarotte.
There are two wagers offered
here each night that come with a reduced 16 percent takeout rate. They are the
50-cent Pick 5, which is decided on the first five races on the evening; and
the 20-cent Pick 4 on the penultimate four races. The Pick 4 comes with a
guaranteed gross pool that has been raised to $30,000.
Bill Conlin remembered
with Memorial Race
Saturday’s main event is
named for Bill Conlin, the longtime sportswriter, editor and columnist for the
Sacramento Bee who passed away in 1997 at the age of 84.
“Bill Conlin, quite simply, is
a legend, a real newspaper man who loved his work and his hometown of
Sacramento like no other,” related Sacramento Bee columnist Debbie Arrington.
“With great wit, he covered
sports and more in this city for six decades, first at the Sacramento Union and
then The Bee. He know everyone – from Ronald Reagan to Al Davis – and was a
daily presence in The Bee’s Sports section until his retirement in 1985.
“Through it all, harness
racing remained one of his favorite sports, both to cover and to watch as a
fan.”
Debbie noted that when Conlin
passed away in June of 1997, Cal Expo’s harness drivers paid tribute to him in
the winner’s circle before the race named in his honor, which was won by the
great pacer and sire Little Steven.
“It’s wonderful that Bill’s
name still lives on at Cal Expo in a sport that he truly loved,” Arrington
added.
