Pacing fillies and mares hold the spotlight at Cal Expo Saturday evening (Jan. 30), with Velocity Mcsweets heading the marquee.
The main event goes as the fifth of 11 races presented by Watch and Wager LLC and first post is set for 5:35 p.m. (PST).
Velocity McSweets is a six-year-old McArdle mare who is owned and trained by Jennifer Sabot and will again be driven by Cordarius Stewart. She will be gunning for her 23rd snapshot from 86 trips to the post, recently went over the $200,000 mark in earnings and has a 1:52 mark that was established last year at Tioga Downs.
Following a smashing win in the Dec. 19, Joe Alto, the bay miss, had to settle for minor awards as the heavy favourite in her next two appearances. She returned to the winner’s circle last week, however, as she stormed home from off the pace to get the job done over a "sloppy" track.
Bertha Vanation had to settle for the place money that night after rattling off back-to-back upsets at the top rung for owner Cathy Dessert and driver-trainer Nick Roland. That Voracious Hanover mare captured the Jan. 2 Open at 25-1 and came right back to weeks later to click again at 7-1 while earning a lifetime best 1:53.2 clocking in the process.
Taking Velocity Mcsweets on this weekend are Alwaysalittlemore with Luke Plano; Dancingonthesand, Mooney Svendsen; Capitol Hill; Delightfully Wild, Tony Kerwood; Paloma Ruiz, Jacob Cutting; Marys Pretty Girl with Doug Chappell; and Bertha Vanation for Nick Roland.
Get My Good Side prevails in wild finish
The finish of last Saturday night’s (Jan. 23) seventh race looked more like a quarter horse race than a pacing event, as the first five across the line were separated by a total of half a length.
At the end, it was the mild 3-1 choice Get My Good Side who prevailed by a nose over Johnny Ringo, with Regal Mark beaten two nostrils for the whole thing while Sneak Peek Hanover was another head back in fourth with How Your Remind checking in fifth beaten half a side.
“I can’t remember ever calling a finish like that one,” track announcer Gary Seibel said. “Like a bigger than normal ocean wave, you could almost see it forming around the sixteenth pole. At that point, there’s much you can do except brace for impact – and try not to get tongue tied!”
The victory was sweet revenge for Get My Good Side, who himself was beaten a nose a week earlier after holding a clear lead in deep stretch. He was ultra-game last Saturday, doing the work in first-over fashion for Jacob Cutting.
The four-year-old is conditioned by George Reider, who co-owns the performer with Dave and Rob Haness. “I bought this horse the last day of racing at Running Aces,” Reider noted. “He’s a nice little horse who doesn’t do many things wrong.”
One race later, Rockinscience rattled off his third straight win while capturing the Robert Gordon Pace, going coast-to-coast for Luke Plano as the 1-5 choice. After posting a sparkling 1:52.2 decision one race back, he returned with a 1:53.3 jaunt last weekend.
It was also a consecutive double on the card for Dave Haness, who co-owns the son of Rockin Image with Nikki Hudson.
Talk about a nice half an hour.
(Cal Expo)