Gene Vallandingham claimed Red Star Wild One for his longtime friend and client, Michael Silber, last month at Cal-Expo. The purchase bore fruit last week when the eight-year-old pacer did the track-and-attack to perfection to record his third win of the season.
For the 70-year-old Vallandingham, it was victory No. 2,901 in his career, as he continues to add to a bankroll of over $13.1 million. Those red, white and blue colours have been a west coast fixture for five decades and continue to grace the winner’s circle, if not as regularly as they once did.
“I claimed Red Star Wild One because I liked the way he was always closing at the end of his races,” Gene related. “He went a real nice mile the other night and it’s certainly still fun to win races. You know I got my first one back in 1966.”
Making the victory even more special is the fact that the pacer goes about his business under the Silber banner, as Gene and Michael go way back in this sport and have had lots of success over the years.
“Michael is like a son to me,” Gene explained. “I’ve known him since the late 70s and he’s just a great guy. He’s one of the few people I know that everybody likes, and it’s great to have him as a friend.”
Live racing will resume at Cal-Expo on Thursday, March 17 and will continue through Saturday, March 19. First-race post time on Thursday is 5:30 p.m. (PST). First-race post time on Friday, March 18 and Saturday is at 6:00 p.m.
On Saturday, Cal-Expo offers a reduced 15 per cent takeout rate on both the Early and Late Pick-4 wagers, with the Late Pick-4 having a $10,000 gross-guaranteed pool.
(Cal-Expo)