By Mark Ratzky, publicity – Cal Expo Harness
An Open Pace featuring I’m An
Athlete and Allmyx’sliventexas and a Filly and Mare Open Pace that brings out
Delightfully Wild and Directing Traffic head the marquee on Saturday night at
Cal Expo.
I’m An Athlete and
Allymx’sliventexas put on quite a show at the head of the class last week and
get another chance to settle the score in the co-feature while leaving from the
No. 6 and 7 outside post positions, respectively.
I’m An Athlete is an
8-year-old son of Art Major who carries the banner of Ronald Rettig-Zucchi, is
trained by Jessie Pacheco and will once again have James Kennedy giving
directions. He has four wins from nine starts on the year with a 1:51 1/5
lifetime standard.
After some tough trips from
difficult posts in his previous two miles, I’m An Athlete returned to his
winning ways last week. He was able to leave into a pocket trip behind the
odds-on Allymx’sliventexas, tracked that one to the drive and was up by a nose
in a 1:52 mile.
Allymx’sliventexas is a
5-year-old homebred who competes for Wayne and Rod Knittel, takes his lessons
from Bob Johnson and has main man Mooney Svendsen back at the controls.
The hard-hitting performer
had three straight victories going into last week’s Open, including a head-heat
in the Glen Holt Memorial and a career-best 1:50 4/5 mile in his next outing
despite being parked the mile that evening.
In last week’s clash, the
Knittel colorbearer shot right to the front for Svendsen, opened a lengthy lead
at midstretch but could not quite hold off the pocket-sitting I’m An Athlete in
another strong outing.
Veteran mare Silverlode
continues good fight
Silverlode added another
victory to her resume last weekend as she dead-heated with Silverhill Volo in
an Open II Trot, pushing her lifetime bankroll near the $175,000 mark.
A 9-year-old homebred
daughter of British Sterling who races for Steve and Vickie Desomer and has
been handled of late by Steve Wiseman, Silverlode is out of the top racemare
and producer Charlotte’s Web.
The latter has had a very
impressive group of performers on the racetrack. In addition to divisional
leader Silverlode, she has had divisional leaders in Placer and Cadet; the
takes-winning Kiss The Girls and a promising pair in Pay Dirt and
Shudabinaclaudius.
Charlotte’s Web, who
celebrated her 16th birthday this year, is a daughter of Website who
was a multiple stakes winner as a 2-year-old and was retired in the midst of
her sophomore campaign.
***
There are two wagers offered
here each night that come with a reduced 16 percent takeout rate – the 50-cent
Pick 5 and the 20-cent Pick 4.
The Pick 4 comes with a
$50,000-guaranteed gross pool on Saturdays and a $30,000 guarantee on Fridays.
Last Saturday night’s Pick 4
returned a nifty $1,922 for each correct 20-cent ticket and would have paid
$1,716 using the regular takeout. That’s $206 bonus for each ducket.
