By Mark Ratzky, publicity – Cal Expo Harness
David Siegel
recently recorded his 500th victory in the sulky here and was
reflective when speaking afterwards about that score, his day job and the state
of harness racing in California.
“I turn 60
next year, so I know that 500 will be the only driving milestone I will
achieve,” Siegel said.
“I was
really hopeful to get it done this meet, and the horse I got it done with was
appropriately named ‘Beacon of Hope.’ While I have achieved one of my life’s
objectives, I would like to believe that perhaps a Beacon of Hope will shine
upon the other horsemen at Cal-Expo with regard to their futures.”
By day,
David is the President of TrackMaster, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Equibase,
which is the Thoroughbred industry’s official source for racing information.
“We service
both the Standardbred and Thoroughbred industries providing electronic
information for handicapping,’ Siegel explained. “ We have thousands of
consumers as our customers as well as a number of racing institutions including
every ADW in North America.
“I am
involved in every aspect of our business including a number of special projects
for Equibase. One that is currently taking much of my time is using GPS
technology for the tracking of horses during races. This will eventually
provide more information for players as well as enhance the broadcast of races
at reasonable cost to the tracks.”
Back in
2001, David I took a ride in the starting gate at Pompano Park. That lead to
his getting involved on the ownership side and eventually he took part in the
USTA’s amateur driving school.
“Since
much of my life follows the ‘go big or go home’ philosophy, I really got into
the driving and over time, began to drive every racing day working my way up
the licensing ladder,” he related. “It was not easy living two hours from the
track and being away from my wife every weekend for six months. But I got it
done and still thoroughly enjoy the driving.
“My first
trainer was Ed Hensley. After he moved Lou Pena and Ray Burt are the guys that
really helped me out about driving and getting mounts. After they left, Gilbert
Garcia and Bernie Wolin were my go-to trainers. Are you seeing a pattern here?
It seems the guys who help me leave soon afterwards!”
And has
Siegel modeled himself after any particular driver over the years?
“There is no
one in particular I try to mirror stylistically. I try to do my homework and
drive safely and give every horse the best chance I can.
“While I
would say I have been pretty well accepted by the drivers, I know I am not
viewed by many trainers the same way other drivers are and therefore don’t get
the drives I might if I were a full time horsemen.
“This part
gets frustrating at times, but I would not trade my life with any of the other
drivers. I am so fortunate to have a good job and still get to excel at one of
my keen interests. I have the best of both worlds.”
Goudreau,
Gordon Eliminations headline card
Two
divisions of the Robert Gordon eliminations and two divisions of the Shelly
Goudreau elminations get the marquee treatment on Saturday night’s Watch and
Wager LLC program at Cal Expo.
There are 11
races on tap with first post set for 6:10 p.m.
The Gordon
eliminations will go as the third and fifth events on the evening, while the
Goudreau eliminations will occupy the 6th and 9th-race
slots on the card.
The top five
finishers from each of these heats will advance to next week’s respective finals,
named for two legends in California harness racing.
He Grins
Again and West for Gold finished one-two last weekend in a solid mile and go in
separate divisions of the Gordon. The former is a 3-year-old son of Place To Be
who races for George Reider and Dave, Rob and Kimberly Haness with Reider
training and Steve Wiseman guiding and will be gunning for his third straight
trip to the charmed enclosure.
Finishing
just a neck in his wake last week was West For Gold, who goes about his
business for Santiago Quintana with Edwin Quevado doing the conditioning and
Mooney Svendsen once again handling the lines. He recorded a 1:53 4/5
lifetime-best victory here on November 24.
There are
two wagers that are offered here each night that come with a reduced 16 percent
takeout rate. They are the 50-cent Pick 5, which is decided on the first five
races on the evening; and the 20-cent Pick 4, on the penultimate four races.
The Pick 4 comes with a guaranteed gross pool of $30,000.
