$30,000-GUARANTEED PICK 5 POOL FEATURED
By Mark Ratzky, publicity – Cal Expo Harness
With no winning tickets last Saturday night, the 50-cent Pick 5 features a carryover of $8,026 going into Thursday’s program at the Watch and Wager LLC meet at Cal Expo with a $30,000-guaranteed gross pool. First post for the 11-race program is 5:40 p.m.
The Pick 5 sequence covers the third through seventh races on the evening and comes with a reduced 16 percent takeout rate. The same rate is also offered on the $1 Pick 4 on the final four races and the 10-cent High 5 that takes place on the finale.
Thursday’s feature is a $4,400 trotting affair that completes the Pick 5 and finds Be Famous getting some class relief after knocking heads with the likes of the razor-sharp K D Amazin Spirit and Franky Provolone in his most recent trip to the post one week ago.
Be Famous carries the banner of Amante Standardbreds Inc with Frank Petrelli training and Steve Wiseman in his usual spot in the sulky and will leave from the outside slot in the field of eight. He has been a tiger when competing at this level, winning three of his four appearances between December 22 and January 11 in convincing style.
Like A Lexis is fresh from a solid tally under these decisions and the veteran has some versatility in his corner. Bruce Clarke reins and trains the 8-year-old son of Like A Prayer and co-owns with Jack Coffey and Patricia Waldeck. He should have a say no matter how they shake out into the first turn.
Rounding out the field are Claim Jumper, who gives the Petrelli barn two looks at the outcome with his trainer guiding from the cozy rail; Twice The Ruckus, James Kennedy; Giles L S Hanover with Mooney Svendsen; Hi Tech Tony, to be handled by Steve Wiseman; Viking Mia with Luke Plano; and Putoneonnetformom for Rocky Stidham.
RITE AFTER DISBEER GOES FOR THE GUSTO
There are two more Sire Stakes on the schedule for the 4-year-olds, the first of those set for Saturday, and trainer Kennedy Lindsey would love nothing more than to add another pair of trophies to the mantle of his trotter Rite After Disbeer.
The son of New Age Hanover is owned and was bred by Mary Harris and has four stakes wins on his resume and $34,000 in the bank. He accomplished this despite not getting to the races until his 3-year-old campaign and spotting his peers something in the experience department.
In the most recent stakes clash for his division on December 21, Rite After Disbeer had to settle for a distant runner-up finish behind his arch-rival El Azteca, who himself has a slew of Sire Stakes scores on his resume.
Both Rite After Disbeer comes into this weekend’s big-money gathering off dominating victories last week. Rite After Disbeer made 5-2 look like a gift in a nearly seven-length front-end romp for Chip Lackey, while El Azteca was every part the odds-on chalk in a cakewalk for owner/trainer/breeder Marco Rios and pilot Scott Cisco about an hour later.
Despite being little match for El Azteca in that last stakes clash, Lindsey is optimistic about his performer’s chances this time around. “He got injured before that last race and missed a couple of starts, which hurt him,” the trainer noted. “Now he’s had some time to race back into form, and I’d say he was about 90 percent last week and should be perfect for this one.”
Saturday’s Sire Stakes action will also feature the pacing males doing battle with Ra Ra Steven heading that cast after overcoming a major break the last time they got together to pick up another big-money score. Friday evening finds the 4-year-old trotting and pacing distaffers attempting to settle some old stakes scores.
