Conditioned-claiming pacers, racing for a purse of $3,300, were featured last night at Cal-Expo. The occasion marked a perfect time for Stop Calling to dial in a win.
In advance of starting from Post 2 in the seven-horse field, Stop Calling's pilot, Steve Wiseman, was respectfully optimistic.
"It was a pretty competitive bunch, but he's a pretty nice horse and I thought I had a decent shot," Wiseman explained.
Coming away in third position into a :29 opening quarter, Wiseman soon had to abort a move he thought of making.
"I was actually thinking of going to the front, but when Luke (driver Luke Plano) pocket-pulled to the three-eighths with Coal Younger, I decided to stay put, which I was fine with."
Remaining in the three-hole through the opening half-mile (:58.3), Wiseman moved his charge to the outside well after the nine-sixteenths-mile pole. He had his gelding moving so nicely at the five-eighths-mile station that Plano was forced to ask for more speed from his pacer.
"I saw that Luke pulled the earplugs on his horse and I was just sitting on my horse and had never even really asked him."
With the pace clearly picking up in the latter part of the third-quarter, Stop Calling and a confident Wiseman drew even just to the three-quarter mile marker, timed in 1:28.1, but there was still more left to do.
"I thought I had a good shot because I still hadn't pulled the earplugs."
Taking a parked-out lead late in the final-turn, Wiseman knew it was time to push the button.
"I popped his earplugs at the top of the lane and he responded well. That was good because I wanted to get the jump on the rest of the field, and I did."
Drawing clear by two and a half lengths with less than three sixteenths of a mile to go, Wiseman soon had reason to urge his horse.
"He kind of let up a little inside the final sixteenth of a mile, but when he heard them coming again he started in again and had enough to hold them off."
Holding on to a dwindling lead, the Mark Anderson-owned and trained four-year-old won ($5.20) by a head, in 1:55.4. Got No Troubles (driven by John Chappell) rallied nicely to be second, and Stanza (James Kennedy) finished just a head farther back, in third.
"It was a very good race for him and it gave me six winners on a super night for me where everything was falling in the right place," Wiseman concluded.
Leading driver Luke Plano matched Wiseman with four wins on the program. Plano won Races 5 through 8.
Live racing continues at Cal-Expo on Friday, April 16 and Saturday, April 17 at 5:35 p.m. (PDT). On Friday, carryover in the $1 Super High-5 (Race 10) is $3,385.32. The total estimated pool is $12,500.
(Cal-Expo)