There are two wagers offered at Cal Expo each night with a reduced 16 per cent takeout, and one lucky patron at the California satellite in Monterey saw the impact first-hand last Friday when they held the only winning ticket in the 20-cent Pick 4 that returned a whooping $33,644.
To put things in perspective, using the regular takeout, that ticket would have been worth $30,039, which is still a very nice score, but a difference of $3,605.
Using a ticket that went 4-by-4 by 2-by-3 for a cost of $19.20, the patron was able to string together longshots Winonefordoug and Place At The Beach while finishing up the sequence with a well-regarded pair of performers in 5-2 shot Art Genta and 3-1 Nutmegs Desire.
In addition to the 20-cent Pick 4, which comes with a $30,000-guaranteed gross pool, the reduced 16 per cent takeout is also offered on the 50-cent Pick 5, which covers the first five events each evening.
This coming Friday’s program at Cal Expo is headed by the Gary Budahn Trot Prep and a $6,600 Filly and Mare Open Pace.
The field for the Budahn Prep will line up this way from the rail out: Rss Express, Silverlode, Franky Provolone, Winsom Kelly, Livid Luke, Dougs Hobby Horse, Cadet and Franks Best.
Looking ahead to Saturday’s card, the finals of the Shelly Goudreau and Robert Gordon will highlight the action. Last week’s elimination winners Major Jessie and Mystery Dragon and Lucky Ivan and Cantholdmeback will head their respective races.
Delightfully Wild Returns With A Huge Effort
Despite being away from the wars for four months, Delightfully Wild was up to the task in last week’s Filly and Mare Open Pace and got the job done off a pocket trip by a neck with Luke Plano giving directions.
The daughter of Bettors Delight goes about her business for Richard Morita and David Yamada with Lino Pacheco training and the 1:54.1 final clocking shaved a tick off her previous lifetime mark.
“What a nice surprise to end 2017,” said Morita. “We bought Delightfully a little over a year ago at the Delaware sale. We were fortunate that Gretchen Smith was there and looked over a number of horses for Dave and me.
“As it turned out, ‘Wild’ was for sale on the last day and we got her. Sometimes the ‘best buys’ are the ones you don't get, and we were lucky to get her after missing on some of our earlier bids.
“She has been solid for us right from the beginning, but really started to blossom in the spring here (at Cal Expo), and in Chicago over the summer. We gave her a nice break after a hard year of racing and she has trained back really well.
“We certainly didn't expect to win the Open after just one slow qualifier, but Lino has kept her sharp and has been impressed with how strong she has become. Credit for our horses' success is due to our trainer and drivers, who do a great job.”
Morita points out that Delightfully Wild is a case in point. “She had a tendency to get on a line, sometimes making it hard to keep her straight, but she seems to have matured and now can better use her speed. Our drivers have done a nice job with her, including Jim Lackey, Ryan Anderson, and now Luke.”
(Cal Expo)