Grandpa Stevie is one of those old pros that love their job, and the eight-year-old son of Little Steven showed it once again with his second straight victory last weekend at Cal-Expo with co-owner Dave Siegel in the sulky.
The pacer recorded his 31st career victory from 179 appearances. He has also recorded 28 seconds and 31 thirds with $123,736 in the bank. He established his career standard of 1:52.2 at Cal-Expo two years ago.
“Grandpa Stevie is an absolute Cadillac of a horse,” said Siegel, who owns the Matias Ruiz trainee along with Greg Robinson and Robert Thronson. “He is very versatile in that he can leave, race from behind, or be first up. He’s two fingers to drive and does everything right.”
What really impresses Siegel about this dark-hued veteran is his excellent work ethic.
“He gives 100 per cent every race and is a total delight to be behind. Matias has done a wonderful job with him and unless I screw the drive up, he’s in the mix every week.”
Grandpa Stevie definitely comes to play week in and week out, and as a result has his share of fans. He’ll likely have plenty of backers when he sets sights on a hat trick.
Two series events will kick off this weekend at Cal-Expo. The Kaycees Doll Series will begin Friday, December 3 and the Courageous Red Series will begin on Saturday, December 4. The finales for these races will be decided two weeks later.
Live racing resumes at Cal Expo on Thursday, December 2 and will continue through Saturday, December 4. Approximate first-race post time is 5:40 p.m. (PST).
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 now having a $10,000 gross-guaranteed pool.
(Cal-Expo)