An Open Trot headed by El Azteca and Its Not Over, a distaff Open Pace and a trio of $10,000 California Sire Stakes are on tap Friday night at Cal Expo.
First post for the 14-race card is 6:10 p.m.
Looking at the four-year-old sire stakes trot, Placer, Ahh Panama and Bank Of Lodi are the major players after finishing in that order in the most recent stakes clash for this division two weeks ago.
Placer is a homebred son of Panama Hanover out of the Website mare Charlottes Web who races for Desomer Stables Inc. with Vickie Desomer the conditioner and husband Steve in the sulky. He prevailed by a neck over Ahh Panama in that last added-money clash on January, adding another trophy to his display case.
Ahh Panama is a daughter of Panama Hanover who races for Hank Wieseneck, Marty Garey and Bob Johnson with Johnson training and Steve Wiseman doing the honours. A stakes victress last season, she is looking for some revenge after just missing in that stakes two weeks ago.
Bank Of Lodi has been a stakes winner at three and four for his owner/breeders Mary Harris and Pierre Girard, with Girard training and Luke Plano in his usual spot in the bike. The New Age Hanover mare accounted for the December 14 stakes clash in coast-to-coast fashion, and then carved out the fractions in that last stakes get-together and was no match for Placer and Ahh Panama in the stretch.
The three-year-old pacing filly stakes will be a rematch between Avila Beach and Smash, who were ‘one-two’ in the initial big-money affair in this division, while the sire stakes for the three-year-old trotters will be raced as a non-betting affair prior to the regular program.
The Open Trot has been carded as the third race on the card and should provide another great battle between El Azteca and Its Not Over, who have dominated things at the head of the class during the current meeting. James Kennedy guides the former for owner/breeder/trainer Marco Rios, while Chip Lackey will be in his usual spot behind Its Not Over for trainer Bob Johnson.
Jackpot 6, Pick 4 Offer Enticing Opportunities
A $24,192 carryover in the Jackpot 6 and a $30,000-guaranteed gross pool for the Pick 4 are among the wagering highlights on Friday’s program at Cal Expo.
The Jackpot 6 and the Pick 4 are both offered with a reduced 16 per cent takeout rate, along with the Pick 5 and the Hi-5. The Jackpot 6 and Hi-5 are 10-cent wagers; the Pick 5 is a 50-cent bet, and the Pick 4 comes with a $30,000 guaranteed pool and can be purchased in 20-cent increments.
Going into Friday’s program, the carryover on the Jackpot 6 stands at just shy of $25,000. The 10-cent minimum wager pays out 70 per cent of the net pool to the tickets with the most winners, with the remaining 30 per cent designated for the carryover on those nights.
When there is only one unique winning ticket selecting on all six winners, the entire net pool for that night and the carryover is paid to the holder of that ticket.
There was a mandatory payout when the last meet completed on December 21, with a carryover of $22,655 going into that program.
Racing will be conducted this week on Friday and Saturday nights, with no racing on Super Bowl Sunday (February 1). Next week, there will be Saturday and Sunday night programs, February 7 and 8.
Following that, there will be back-to-back three-night weeks with cards on Friday through Sunday, February 13, 14, 15; and Friday through Sunday, February 20, 21, 22.
(With files from Cal Expo)