Blinded By Delight, a sparkling winner of last week’s Distaff Open at Cal Expo, attempts a curtain call in Sunday’s (April 14) $12,500 USD Kirk Breed Free For All for pacing fillies and mares, while Bin A Mystery looks to continue his winning ways in the $20,000 USD California Sires Stakes for four-year-old pacing males.
A 13-race program is on tap under the Watch and Wager LLC banner with first post set for 4:15 p.m.
Blinded By Delight is a five-year-old daughter of Bettors Delight who is owned and was bred by Kenneth Seastrom, is conditioned by Gordie Graham and will once again be guided by Jake Cutting.
She was sent off the 2-1 co-second choice in last week’s top dance for the distaff pacers, brushed to the front midway down the backstretch and went on to a two-length decision in a lifetime best 1:52.2 mile. The win was the ninth in just 15 starts for Blinded By Delight, who appears to have unlimited potential.
Looking at the Sire Stakes, Bin A Mystery is a son of Mystery Chase who races for Mark Anderson and is reined and trained by James Kennedy.
After a needed start in the first stakes clash for this group in early February, he has posted back-to-back big money wins, the most recent coming on March 24 when he made every pole a winning one in a romping score. He earned his fourth win in 10 starts for the Anderson colour-bearer and the 1:54 final clocking established a new lifetime mark.
Go Viral coming into his own
With his victory last week, Go Viral has now posed for pictures following four of his last seven starts for his owner/breeders Billie Schwartz, Ivan Axelrod and Junior Wilkinson.
Mooney Svendsen has guided the four-year-old Wilkinson trainee in the last three scores, getting it done from an up close and personal position with the son of Always A Virgin.
“He was born during the pandemic, thus the name,” Schwartz noted after the most recent tally. “He showed talent early on and Junior thought he’d be a good horse.
“He was behind his peers when he went back to Indiana last year because of all the rain here at Cal Expo and he wasn’t able to train as much.”
Go Viral has delivered on the promise his conditioner saw early on and Schwartz added, “He’s certainly growing into a nice horse.”
The pacer will attempt to up his impressive seasonal batting average when he suits up in Sunday night’s first race.
(With files from Cal Expo)