By Mark Ratzky, publicity – Cal; Expo Harness
Friday night’s program
features a pair of carryovers, kicking off with an $8,245 carryover in the
20-cent Pick 5 that covers the first five events on the evening.
There will be a
$30,000-guaranteed gross pool for the Pick 5, which is one of two wagers each
night along with the 20-cent Pick 4 that features a reduced 16 percent takeout
rate.
There is also a $3,840
carryover in the 50-cent Pick 6, which is decided on the penultimate six races
on the card.
There is a carryover in the
Pick 5 despite the fact that last Saturday night’s sequence featured a 3-5
winner in I’m An Athlete, who was recording his second straight victory in the
Open Pace.
While three of the other
winners were very logical at 5-2, 3-1 and 7-2, what ignited this carryover was
Hi Fidelity’s victory in the opener at $50 for owner/trainer Rick Cisco and
pilot Ryan Grundy.
In addition, on Friday night
Cisco sent out the 13-year-old Blue Note for a victory in the Alan Kirschenbaum
Final with Luke Plano doing the honors. She made every pole a winning one in a
1:54 2/5, just a tick off the lifetime mark she established here last season.
Fittingly, Blue Note is a
daughter of Little Steven, who was a tremendous racehorse and sire for
Kirschenbaum.
Pair of Open Paces
sharing spotlight
A $5,500 Open Pace that finds
I’m An Athlete heading the cast and another contentious renewal of the $6.600
Filly and Mare Open Pace are the main events on Friday night’s 11-race card at
Cal Expo.
I’m An Athlete is fresh from
back-to-back scores at the head of the class and for his efforts, the Jessie
Pacheco trainee will be asked to do his work this time around from the assigned
No. 10 post position with James Kennedy once again guiding the Ronald
Rettig-Zucchi colorbearer.
An 8-year-old son of Art
Major, I’m An Athlete has put his class and versatility on display in his last
two scores at this Open level, going off at 13-1 in his January 27 tally and
hammered down to 3-5 for last week’s decision.
In that first victory from
the outside post in a field of nine, Kennedy left into a tracking trip, cleared
once straightened for home and came home powerfully to get the job done by a
length and a half that evening.
In last week’s clash at this
top level, I’m An Athlete shot right to the front for Kennedy, carved out all
the fractions without pressure and came to the wire with a length and
three-quarters to spare in a 1:52 flat tour.
Taking him on from the rail
out are Bettor’s Promise, Cantholdmebackmack, Jimp The Shark, Ragin’s Flight,
Almost Cut My Hair and Gorgeous For Real.
A strong case can be made for
most of the distaffers in the co-featured Filly and Mare Open, with trainer
Kathie Plested represented by last week’s flying finish runner-up Shark
Festival with Mooney Svendsen and Boozer Bruiser, who will have the services of
Steve Wiseman.
