Wenceslao has sights on another stakes score

             By Mark Ratzky, publicity – Cal Expo

Laissez Moi Passer has developed into a solid 3-year-old pacer for Sal Wenceslao and driver Williams Hernandez and will attempt to earn his second straight Sire Stakes trophy in Saturday night’s main event.

“I won a Sire Stakes with Exquisite Gem as an owner five years ago, but this is my first as an owner and trainer,” noted Sal, who took out his conditioning license a little over a year ago and races his stable with his wife Georgette.”It was quite a thrill and it would be nice to do it again.”

Laissez Moi Passer is by Disco Devil out of the stakes-winning Nirvana mae My Passing Fancy and Wenceslao has had both the pacer and his dam since the day he was born.

“He was something special right from the start and I didn’t want to rush him. I  remember driving Williams out of the farm one day when Laissez was just six months old and I told him this was going to be his first stakes winner.”

After making menacing noises behind divisional leaders King Of The Crop and Rikybrnthegaragdwn, the most recent stakes together found the Wenceslao performer doing the track-and-attack to perfection for Hernandez, prevailing by three-quarters of a length in a lifetime-best 1:55 clocking.

“Turning for home that night, I knew those other horses were in trouble because my horse has a real nice closing kick. He finished very strong.”

Sal also related that he is currently putting a full brother through his paces, with Laissezmoipicoler expected to make his debut near the end of the year. It’s the stuff dreams are made of, and so far so good according to his mentor.

Sire Stakes entices top pacing colts

A $10,000 California Sire Stakes for sophomore pacing colts is on tap Saturday night at Cal Expo, with Laissez Moi Passer, King Of The Crop and Rikybrnthegaragdwn looming the major players.

Laissez Moi Passer picked up his first stakes victory when he did the stalk-and-pounce to perfection two weeks ago and prevailed by three-quarters of a length. The 1:55 clocking shaved a full second off his previous mark. The Disco Devil offspring is owned by Salvador and Georgette Wenceslao with Salvador the conditoner and Williams Hernandez in his usual place in the sulky.

King Of The Crop and Rikybrnthegaragdown have three stakes trophies each and were second third, respectively, behind Laissez Moi Passer in that last big-money gathering. King Of The Crop is by Little Steven and is owned, trained and driven by James Kennedy, while Rikybrnthegaragdown carries the banner of Maryann Plano with Tim Brown training and Rich Wojcio at the controls.

King Of The Crop picked up his most recent stakes tally on March 15, sitting a pocket trip and then exploding in the stretch to win going away for Kennedy. He made a break in the slop in the next added-money affair and set all the fractions in that last stakes before getting overhauled and having to settle for second.

King Of The Crop returned in a conditioned affair last week and was a dominating winner six and a half-length winner, lowering his lifetime standard to 1:54 3/5 in the process.

Rikybrnthegaragdwn is a son of Livin It Up out of the Sportsmaster mare Sports Bra he last posed for pictures following a stakes race on Marcy 29. He had no trouble with the off going that evening and made every pole a winning one, coming home with five and a half-lengths to spare.

Holme Base and Tony Cheesecake complete the field. There will be an 11-race card with first post at 6:15 p.m. and the headliner goes as the second event on the evening.