STALEY SERIES,
REBECCA FLOYD MEMORIAL
SIRE STAKES FOR
DISTAFFERS HEAD PROGRAM
By Mark Ratzky,
publicity – Cal Expo Harness
The second
leg of the Richard Staley Trotting Series; the Rebecca Floyd Memorial and a
pair of $10,000 California Sire Stakes for 4-year-old mares hold the spotlight
at Cal Expo on Friday evening.
Twice The
Ruckus heads the cast for the Staley after posting a sharp victory last week in
the third on the 15-race program, while the Rebecca Floyd Memorial is scheduled
as the eighth event and the two Sire Stakes will go as non-betting races prior
to the regular program.
Twice The
Ruckus is a 9-year-old son of Ilooklikemymom who is owned by Denise Maier,
trained by Tim Maier and has James Kennedy at the controls. He was first-over
in last week’s opening leg of the Staley and dug in gamely through the stretch
to show the way home by three-quarters of a length over even-money favorite
Dreaming Of Amy and Chiselled, who dead-heated for second.
Dreaming Of Amy
has Luke Plano in the sulky and Mooney Svendsen guides Chiselled. Completing
the field are Bobby Baccala, who will have the services of Chip Lakcey; and
Earls Dreamofglory with David Siegel giving directions.
Looking at the
Sire Stakes, Vari Forgetful and Silverlode have divided up many of the
big-money events for their trotting division, while La Madawna De Rosa seeks a
stakes encore in the trotting end for owner/breeder Cynthia Tupper, trainer
Robert Bell and driver Luke Plano.
The Rebecca
Floyd Memorial honors the horse enthusiast who passed
away in Anderson, Indiana on January 23, due to complications arising from
pneumonia at the age of 65. She was an avid gardener and animal lover and in
her home one could always find a menagerie of dogs, cats and riding
horses. In addition to her at-home pets,
most of which were strays or rescues, she owned a number of talented harness
horses, including $100,000 earner Shock and Awe.
Rebecca
hailed from Philippi, West Virginia but made her way west with her family and
was a 1965 graduate of the Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs. She loved the
outdoors and the lively arts and earned her bachelor’s degree in Theater Arts
from Humboldt State University in 1993, and went on to earn a Masters in the
same field from Humboldt State in 1995.
She traveled extensively in Europe teaching both English and dance and
was also was a certified equine massage therapist and practiced primarily on
Standardbred racehorses.
LIKE
A LEXIS LOVES TO MOTOR HOME
Like A Lexis is
riding a three-race winning streak for driver/trainer Bruce Clarke, using his
patented late heroics to get the job done. Co-owned by Clarke, Jack Coffey and
Patricia Waldeck, Like A Lexus has been doing the stalk-and-pounce to
perfection of late, with last week’s score coming after a long, first-over
grind from last to prevail the hard way.
“I got him from
Charley Norris about a year ago and he’s a classy old guy,” Clarke related,
pointing out his $150,000-plus bank account and 1:56 1/5 mark. “I don’t really
do a lot with him during the week, just jog him and he knows what he has to do
out there.”
It’s no
coincidence that the last time Like A Lexis tasted defeat was in his January 11
outing where he played the role of pacesetter and checked in third after
getting some heavy pressure. “There’s no question he’s better when he can come
from off the pace, but nobody was leaving at all that night and I took a
chance,” his mentor explained.
In his most
recent tour, Clarke and partner found themselves sitting last at the half with
main rival Viking Mia getting things all her own way up front. “I didn’t have
much choice but to pull early, because Luke (Plano) was really backing down the
pace,” Bruce said. “I was a little surprised that he fought me when I came up
to him, instead of letting me go, but it all worked out at the end.”
