Franky Provolone, he of the Sopranos-like name and sometimes steppy nature, was on his best behaviour last weekend at Cal-Expo and was rewarded with a victory to the delight of those who took 6-5 on the trotter.
Rick Plano conditions the son of Armbro Scribe while son Luke was doing the honors. It was the fifth lifetime trip to the winner’s circle for the four-year-old, who last year turned in a strong 1:58 tour of the seven-eighths of a mile Vernon Downs layout in New York for his career standard.
Franky Provolone is one of those side-wheelers that has his backers holding their breath every yard of the mile, while at the same time realizing that a mistake-free mile is likely to yield a victory when doing his work at that level.
“My dad gave this horse to my wife, Nikki, and I as a wedding gift,” Luke related. “He’s got talent, you can see what he did last year back east, but he hadn’t been finishing like he should in his races. Dad drove him the race one back and then did a little work on his feet, because he felt they were bothering him. He was much better last week.”
Interestingly, the closest thing to a possible miscue by Franky Provolone came when Rick’s other horse in the race, Bobby Baccala, made a break while on the lead and forced pocket-sitter The Goose and Franky Provolone to alter course to get around him.
“There was a little brushing with the bikes, but my horse kept his cool,” Luke informed. “He made a real nice move to the lead at the head of the stretch, and actually won easier than the margin will show. He never saw that other horse (Heavy Pockets) coming, and a 1:59 and change mile is pretty good for this level.”
Live racing will resumes at Cal-Expo on Thursday, January 27 and will continue through Saturday, January 29. First-race post time on Thursday is 5:30 p.m. (PST). First-race post time on Friday, January 28 and Saturday will be 6:00 p.m.
On Saturdays, Cal-Expo offers a reduced 15 per cent takeout rate on both the Early and Late Pick-4 wagers, with both Pick-4s having a $10,000 gross-guaranteed pool.
(Cal-Expo)