After derailing himself in his last with a miscue that cost him his fourth in a row, Albion minded his manners and stamped himself once again as the best on the grounds
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Winners Over pacers, racing for a purse of $4,500, were featured at Cal Expo on Saturday night (April 21), on which a triumphant Albion pushed his career earnings over $100,000.
In advance of starting from his "assigned" post six in a field reduced to five as a result of a scratch, driver Luke Plano knew positive things could occur if a repeat of a negative didn't.
"I thought last week when the horse made the break at the top of the stretch that he over-paced himself a little, and if he didn't do that he would have been very tough to beat," stated Plano. "So off that the break didn't concern me and I thought he'd be tough tonight, plus trainer Matias Ruiz assured me he'd be fine."
Not leaving until the field was a sixteenth of a mile past the start, Plano saw a reason to leave softly at that point.
"I wasn't in any hurry early, but Glad To Be Back [and driver Rich Wojcio] seemed to gap a little, so I took advantage of the situation and got around him."
Tucking in fourth at the eighth, Plano was pleased an eighth of a mile later.
":28.1 was a decent quarter and I was happy with my position at that point."
Staying put as everyone did, Plano had a good view from the cleanup spot at the half-mile juncture, timed in :57.1.
"I thought James [Kennedy] was setting legitimate fractions with Haggin Oaks, which left me content in the back. I will say that had he gone any slower, I might had to have made a move, but that turned out not to be the case."
Saving ground until moving to second over position at the midway point of the final turn, an optimistic Plano would urge his charge once just to the three-quarter mile station, timed in 1:25.2.
"My horse felt very good at that point and the urging was because he's not overly aggressive and I was just trying to get him on the bit a little. Based off the second over trip, I thought he'd be very tough off that."
Following One And Only (Jim Lackey) into the lane, Plano could wait no longer as he moved his six-year-old three-wide with less than three-sixteenths of a mile to go.
"I didn't want to rush him outside because I thought that may have been the problem last week when he broke. So I eased him off of Lackey's back after drafting a bit, and when I asked him he responded powerfully."
Picking up One And Only, who had taken over the lead to the seven-eighths mile pole, Albion soon closed in solid fashion into the lead with a sixteenth of a mile to go while urged some, then drew away in deep-stretch while hardly urged.
"He paced strongly through the wire."
Owned by Dan Tullio and James Mascola in partnership with Matias Ruiz, the gelding won ($4.80) by three lengths in 1:52.2, equalling a lifetime mark while winning for the 25th time in his career. One And Only finished in second and Haggin Oaks was another two and a half lengths back in third.
"He got a real good trip that may have paid off, but he was still very sharp," finished the meet's leading driver.
(Cal Expo)