By Mark Ratzky, publicity – Cal Expo Harness
Fly Away and Scary Harry,
impressive winners of their respective elimination heats last week, head the
cast for Saturday night’s $20,000 Alan Horowitz Memorial Pace at Cal Expo.
First post for the Watch and
Wager LLC program is 6:10 p.m. and the harness action continues on Saturday
evening.
Fly Away is an 8-year-old son
of Allamerican Native who races for the partnership of Scott Ehrlich, George
McChrystal and Kathie Plested with Plested the conditioner and Steve Wiseman in
the sulky.
After a runner-up finish on
opening week, Fly Awaty was sent off at 4-1 in last week’s second elimination
heat while doing his work from the outside post in the field of eight. The
trailer for a half-mile, he began to pick up momentum on the final turn, then
flew home for Wiseman to get the job done by a half-length in a 1:53 2/5 mile.
Scary Harry looked equally
strong in his heat for owners Chip Lackey and Tim Clevenger and driver/trainer
Lackey. He was reversed early, rallied with cover turning for home and came a
sparkling :27 flat final quarter to prevail by a length as the even-money
favorite.
This 5-year-old is by
Sportsmaster out of the Armbro Cadet mare One Cadet and shows a lifetime mark
of 1:52 flat that was established at Pompano Park earlier this season. Like Fly
Away he likes to pour it on in the stretch.
Completing the field are
Walker Meister, Cowboy Mathis, Oh Yeah, Mighty Fine Hi Ho, Jump The Shark,
Allamerican Solo and Good Citations.
Saturday night’s Alan Horowitz Memorial is named for a major force in California harness racing over the last several decades and a member of the California Harness Horsemen's Association (CHHA) Hall of Fame who passed away in April at age 72.
Mr. Horowitz, who wore many hats in the business, started out as a partner with longtime friends Donald and Barbara Arnstine and Steve Desomer with a $25,000 claimer named Quaker Byrd. Quaker Byrd won his first race for the partners and Alan was hooked. Moving on, Alan would eventually become a board member and president of CHHA.
In 1994, Mr. Horowitz was instrumental in bringing harness racing back to Cal Expo in the form of Capitol Racing and was also its successful general manager. He was serving as the Executive Secretary of the CHHA at the time of his retirement in 2013 and continued to stay in touch with the sport that he loved so much.
"It is impossible to overstate Alan's importance to the harness racing industry in California," said David Neumeister. "Simply put, if it were not for Alan, the sport would no longer exist in this state.
"Between his time as executive director of Western Standardbred Association (now CHHA) and owner/ manager of our only yearling sale company when racing was flourishing in California, and his decision to retire from CHHA a few years ago, against all odds and some very powerful adversaries, Alan almost single-handedly took us from the brink of extinction in the mid-90s and formed and led Capitol Racing in Sacramento to several very successful years of harness racing in that city.
"Were it not for his quiet determination and tactical brilliance, we would not be racing here today.”
Cal Expo is proud to present the Alan Horowitz Memorial on Saturday night. On Saturday evening, Cal Expo will feature the Annette Funicello for pacing fillies and mares, paying tribute to the actress/singer and harness racing advocate who passed away in 2013.
