By Mark
Ratzky, publicity – Cal Expo Harness
With
After Alimony and R Journey Together among his stable representatives in Friday
night’s second leg of the Bob Staats Pacing series at Cal Expo, there is no
question Gene Vallandingahm is holding a strong hand looking ahead to next
week’s final.
The
same can be said of the Vallandingham barn in general, which has benefited by
an influx of new performers from the East, many of them racing under the A
Piece of the Action LLC banner. At the moment, Gene has 36 horses here at Cal
Expo and another half-dozen in action at Pocono Downs.
“You
have to go back to Hollywood Park in the 70s for a time that I had this many
horses,” Vallandingham noted. “You can say I’m just like Jack Benny, because I
feel 39 again.”
For
those who are sticklers about details, Gene officially turned 73 in September.
He has made nearly 20,000 trips to the post in his career and has had his
picture taken 2,965 times as of Friday evening’s program.
Getting
back to the Staats, After Alimony and R Journey Together both reported home on
top in their divisions of the opening leg with Gene in the sulky while being
dispatched as the public choice. After Alimony went coast-to-coast in the
faster mile of the pair, while R Journey Together spent some time in the pocket
behind modest fractions before asserting her authority in the stretch.
“These are two real nice fillies and they had
three or four weeks to get ready for the meet after they shipped in. Of the
two, I would say After Alimony has probably benefited the most by moving from a
five-eights track to a mile.”
Vallandinghan
noted there are a couple of very nice older pacers who could be headed this way
to compete at the head of the class, while he is on the lookout for an
Invitational trotter back East who could make the trip to Sacramento and help
bolster the stable in that area.
Bob Staats, Joe Lighthill Series headline program
The
second leg of the Bob Staats Series for pacing fillies and mares, headed by
After Alimony and R Journey Together; the beginning of the Joe Lighthill
Trotting Series featuring Silverlode; and an Open Distaff Pace with Haggin Oaks
in the spotlight are the main events on Friday night’s card at Cal Expo.
A
12-race card is on tap with first post set at 5:55 p.m. The Staats will go as
the eighth on the program, the Lighthill goes in divisions and occupies the
second and fifth-race slots and the Distaff Open is the third race on the
evening.
After
Alimony and R Journey Together proved punctual favorites in the last week’s
divisions of the Staats for the combination of A Piece of the Action LLC and
driver/trainer Gene Vallandingham. With just a single heat this time around,
Gene will handle After Alimony while Steve Wiseman takes over the lines for R
Journey Together.
After
Alimony is a 3-year-old daughter of Lis Mara who was second in her local debut
on October 19 and has come back to post two sharp wins with Vallandingham at
the helm. She made what proved to be the winning move at the quarter in the
first of those scores, then went coast-to-coast as the even-money choice in her
division of the Staats opening leg in a 1:58 flat tour.
R
Journey Together accounted for the other section that evening while also going
off at even-money. She was used early, tracked to the lane and then proved
clearly best as she drew off by three and three-quarter lengths for her second
straight decision over this layout.
The
Joe Lighthill Series is for the trotting set and Silverlode figures to get
plenty of attention over the next three weeks. A 7-year-old by British Sterling,
this one carries the banner of the Desomer Stable with Steve Desomer at the
controls. A winner of eight of 23 trips to the posts, Silverlode will be
looking to add to a $70,000 bank account.
Racing
is now conducted on Friday and Saturday nights. Looking ahead to the Saturday
card, there will be an Open Trot headed by Franks Best and an Open Pace that
finds Phantom Dan facing a solid cast.
