By Mark Ratzky, publicity – Cal Expo Harness
The pacing mares Cenalta Call
Girl and Delightfully Wild come into this week’s action with significant
winning streaks in tow.
Cenalta Call Girl has put
together four straight wins for driver/trainer Rene Goulet in the conditioned
ranks, while Delightfully Wild has posted back-to-back victories in the Distaff
Open for trainer Lino Pacheco and regular pilot James Kennedy.
Cenalta Call Girl is co-owned
by Goulet with Myrna Empey and has been saving her best for last in her four
scores. She cut it a little too close for comfort in last week’s mile, as she
was shuffled during the middle stages of the race but was able to shake loose
in deep stretch and was up by a head in a lifetime-best 1:53 1/5 mile.
Meanwhile, Delightfully Wild
has established herself as the top pacing mare on the grounds with four wins
from the last five Filly and Mare Opens for Pacheco, Kennedy and co-owners
Richard Morita and David Yamada.
In her March 16 victory that
was contested over a good track, she got the job done by a length and a quarter
and lowered her mark to 1:53 2/5 in the process.
“We bought Delightfully a
little over a year ago at the Delaware sale and Gretchen Smith picked her out
for us,” said Morita. “It was on the final day of the sale and sometimes the
‘best buys’ are the ones you don’t get, and we were lucky to get her after
missing out on some of our earlier bids.
“Lino has kept her sharp and
has been impressed with how strong she has become. She’s matured and can now
better use her speed.”
Shark
Festival has top billing in headliner
Shark Festival, who has a
powerful finish and gets some class relief; looms the one to beat in Friday
night’s featured Filly and Mare Open II Pace.
There will be 11 races under
the Watch and Wager LLC banner with first post set for 6:10 p.m. There will
also be two California Sire Stakes decided as a non-betting events prior to the
regular action.
Shark Festival is a
7-year-old daughter of Shadow Play out of the Cam’s Card Shark mare Shark Fest
who competes for Medinah Racing and Scott Ehrlich with Kathie Plested training
and Mooney Svendsen at the controls.
The long-fused distaffer has
made two trips to the winner’s circle from 12 starts on the season, the most
recent coming in a conditioned affair on March 9 where she ignited when it
counted for Steve Wiseman and was up by a neck as the 9-5 choice.
In last week’s outing at the
Open level, bay miss put in her usual generous finish, coming home in :26 4/5
to complete the exacta behind current division queenpin Delightfully Wild while
once again coming that final quarter in :26 and change.
One of her strongest
challenges could come from stablemate Boozer Bruiser, who recorded back-to-back
wins here earlier in the meet for owner/trainer Plested with Wiseman at the
helm. She was sixth in last week’s Open after finding herself well back turning
for home.
Completing the field are Kiss
On The Lips from the Gerry Longo shedrow; the George Reider-conditioned Getter
Queen Flush; and Moonshinemonkeys, who hails from the Rick Bertrand barn and
will leave from the rail slot.
