M1 - Tetrick Wins 3 on $2 Million Night

Tim Tetrick was the man on Thursday night at the Meadowlands, winning three races on the card.  Two of the three at more than generous odds as Pilatus (6-1)  and Through The Night (11-1) both made trips to the winners circle for The Bionic Man.  Yannick Gingras also won two races on the card, bringing him within two of David Miller for the lead in the driver standings.

Amateur Driver Kelly Walker won Amateur Divers Billings Series Prep with Jedrik Hanover from post ten.  He will be Sam Mckee’s “In The Sulky” guest on the Friday pre-game show.

On the wagering front, it was another first for The Meadowlands.  The total handle of $2,062,811 was the first Thursday that surpassed $2 Million this year.  It was an increase of 10% from the $1,877,484 wagered on this same Thursday one year ago.  Most impressively, it was the first Thursday night of racing that produced a $2 Million handle since April 29, 2010.

 

 

CalX1 - Friday Barn Notes

BILL CONLIN SERIES ENTICES GOLD DEUCE

By Mark Ratzky, publicity – Cal Expo Harness

The first leg of the Bill Conlin Pacing series is in the spotlight at Cal Expo Saturday night, with Gold Deuce heading a contentious field of nine. A 14-race program is on tap, with the Conlin set as the fifth on the evening.

Gold Duece will appreciate getting away from the streaking Oompa Loompa, a performer he has chased home in his last two outings. Prior to that, the son of I Scoot Hanover had recorded back-to-back scores in impressive fashion for driver/trainer Wiseman.

The dark-hued pacer is owned by Kathy Plested and Tyler Wiseman and established his 1:56 2/5 standard in his December 6 score here. Gold Deuce did the track-and-attack to perfection that night, then came back the following week to ride a live cover train en route to length tally.

Young American comes into this contest fresh from a nice runner-up effort behind Rd Iou and will have her share of backers. Oza Waddell II owns while Frank Petrelli drives and trains the daughter of American Ideal. She was a 1:55 4/5 victress at Running Aces last season and her last effort should have her legged up nicely for this assignment.

Rounding out the cast are Twentyone Guns with Scott Cisco; Red Zinfandel, Bruce Clarke; Major Marcus, to be handled by Rich Wojcio; Medoland Sapphire, Luke Plano; Wichadidja for Dave Siegel; Flash’s Camilla, Chip Lackey; and Old Blue for Mooney Svendsen.

 

WHICADIDJA READY TO STAKE HIS CLAIM

Don’t be surprised if you see Dave Siegel wearing a grin when he parades the 5-year-old pacer Whicadidja for Saturday night’s opening leg of the Bill Conlin Series.

Siegel co-owns the performer with Bob Thronson and Greg Robinson and admits that the Bernie Wolin trainee automatically puts him in a good mood when he climbs into the sulky.  “He’s a goofball that actually has me laughing half the time when I come out on the track. He cracks me up.”

Having said that, Siegel is quick to point out that Whicadidja is a serious player in the Conlin and is coming up to the series in perfect shape as he seeks his first Cal Expo snapshot after shipping in from Indiana late last year.

“We purchased him privately this fall with the intent of bringing him here and the allowance conditions for Indiana horses was a key part of it, so Chris (Schick) and Ben’s (Kenney) incentive clearly worked. He is very laid back around the Wolin barn, and even when he walks over to the paddock he is so easy going.

“He has a funny way about him, but is very good gaited and exceptionally soft in the mouth and easy to drive. He can be a little on the lazy side, reflective of his personality, but once it’s time to boogie he knows how to get in gear.”

Siegel noted he has left a couple of times with Whicadidja, including last week from the demanding 10 post, and he has motored nicely away from the gate. “He can race from the back or mid-pack and it’s been a nice surprise that he has improved every single start.

“Bernie has done a great job with him, including correcting a steering flaw we experienced in the first start, and he has him sharper than ever. I have to say I’ve driven horses with more talent, but never one who is so much fun.”

 

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Please note that beginning next week, Cal Expo will be racing two nights a week on Friday and Saturday. The following dates have been added to the schedule: Friday (May 17), Saturday (May 18), Friday (May 24), and Saturday (May 25).            

 

 

M1 - More Focused Rene Allard Ready for Transition Season

With youth and success on his side, trainer Rene Allard has set a goal of concentrating more on quality than quantity in his stable in 2013, as well as placing an emphasis on racing the bulk of horses in the US.

The tireless 26-year-old from Saint-Esprit, Quebec, the youngest trainer to hit 1,500 wins in 2012, amassed career best numbers last year winning 453 races [second in North America] and $3.8 million.  He won the Rideau Carlton training title and was Canada’s leading percentage stable with a .465 in the money figure.

In 2012, Farm Allard staged their second annual day of racing and family fun at their Quebec base with proceeds going to Centraid of Greater Montreal.

Since venturing south of the border, Allard has become a force at the Meadowlands, Yonkers, Pocono Downs, Harrah’s Philadelphia and Saratoga, often using his older brother, Simon Allard in the sulky.

While Allard’s power has come in sheer numbers, his uncanny ability to instantly deliver a spot on synopsis of each individual helps him manage his massive operation and produce positive results.

“I know every horse in my barn, what they wear and what their problems are,” said Allard  “I love the racing part.  I never miss a race, especially with modern technology.  Right now, I have about 90 horses and about 60 currently racing.  I have 30 racing in the US, and I’m stabled on a farm in Middletown, NY down here.  I’ve still got 15 racing at Flamboro Downs, and the rest are at our farm in Quebec.  When other tracks open in March like Harrah’s Philadelphia and Pocono Downs, I’m going to race less in Ontario and planning on racing more on the south side of the border.  I entered a dozen in a sale in Ohio in February.  I want to concentrate on racing better horses, mainly at the Meadowlands, Yonkers and Pocono Downs.” 

While chiefly a trainer of raceway stock, Allard dreams of more lucrative paydays and winner’s circle celebrations for classics like the Meadowlands Pace.

“My ultimate goal is to race in those big money stakes,” noted Allard.  “I’ve always been a guy who just wants to win as many races as I could.  I was the leader in wins in Canada for three straight years before finishing second in 2012, and I was second in North America.  But, again, now I want to have more quality than quantity.  When you have around 100 horses or more, you tend to spread yourself too thin.  I thought about getting some yearlings this year, and I’m going to do that this Fall.  With fewer cheaper horses, I’ll have room to upgrade to some stakes colts.  I have a couple right now, but eventually I hope to get more between this year and the next.  When I do it, I want to do it right and to the best of my ability.”

Allard sends out half a dozen pacers on Saturday’s program at the Meadowlands and offered his assessment of each entrant:

“Simon said Odin Blue Chip [post seven, race one] was very grabby behind the gate, so he took him back and he thinks he may have choked him.  We’re going to add some ear plugs and make some other changes, so he should be alright this week.  They also went a cheap half (:56) and it was hard to catch anybody.  This is the first horse Wheelhouse Racing Stable claimed with me.

“A J Corbelli [post seven, race five] qualified good, and I thought he was in tough last time, but he came up sick.  We’ve given him some time and he seems healthy.  I don’t know if he’ll be in top, top shape, but he trained good.

“When we bought Musselsfrmbrussels [post five, race six] we thought he’d be okay.  We raced him at Yonkers and he was a little steppy in the turns there.  He was obviously real good when he won here, but we were a little disappointed last week.  He’s a small horse and Simon thinks he likes to chase horses.  So, racing him on the front isn’t his thing.  He’s in a tough field.

“We thought No BU [post two, race seven] might win after he came charging home from post ten in his first start at the Meadowlands, but he seems to hang between the quarter and three quarter pole.  We might make a bridle change and close him up, make him more aggressive, and if everything works out he could probably handle that field.  

“Yves Sarrazin sent D GS Woodstock [post three, race nine] to me to try him here.  He trained and qualified good.  That’s a race where horses are shipping in from everywhere, so it’s a question mark.

“Da Vision Of Art [post one, race 11] will be in the Survivor Series coming up.  He didn’t qualify the way I wanted him to.  He was just okay and we’re hoping he’ll get better.”