He started five slots away from his closest rival, then had to fight Mother Nature, but Albion was still able to get back on the winning track.
Winners Over pacers, racing for a purse of $6,800, were featured at Cal Expo on very windy Saturday night (June 9), on which Albion recorded his 12th win of the year thus putting him in a second-place tie in the U.S. for most wins for all horses on the season.
In advance of starting from his assigned post 10 in the field of six, driver Luke Plano had two possible obstacles to contend with.
"With the wind blowing up the backside like it was, I didn't want to come away last from the 10-hole so I planned on getting him in the race early," said Plano. "The 10-hole didn't help, but he has been racing good all along and if I could get the right run he'd be tough."
Leaving and racing about five-wide until racing four-wide as the field entered the first-turn, Plano had to make sure he got around a breaking Haggin Oaks (James Kennedy) an eighth of a mile past the start.
"I was kind of keeping my eyes on Haggin Oaks because when she left the gate, Kennedy seemed concerned going out of there. But I was also kind of waiting for the smoke to clear because Scott Cisco and Split Ticket had left out of there pretty good from the one-hole. So I was just kind of taking my time in getting to the top."
Not racing two-wide until after the field had travelled 3/16ths of a mile, Albion wouldn't clear the lead until a decent ways past the quarter-mile pole, timed in :27.3. Was the lead tough?
"It was a fairly testy quarter and lead, but with the wind blowing us out of there, it wasn't that bad. So I was okay with the :27.3 and still thought I had a solid chance from there."
With Plano "appearing" to take a hold of his pacer once on the front, the pair reached the half-mile station, timed in :58.2.
"The headwind was blowing hard and I really didn't take a hold of the horse as much as the wind was slowing us down so I was just kind of letting him rate himself. The :30.4 second quarter was what you need when the wind is blowing like that and he was comfortable doing it. I thought I had no excuse off that."
Chasing some after his gelding at the five-eighths mile pole as well as shaking the lines, what was Plano trying to accomplish?
"Off the :30.4 I obviously thought I got a solid breather and thought I could kind of let him get going and not let anybody get too close to him from there. But maybe because of the wind and the track being a little deep, he wasn't responding quite as well and I ended up going slower than I wanted in that quarter."
On top by two and a quarter lengths at the three-quarter mile marker, timed in 1:29.3, Plano surely had to feel home free off a :31.1 third-quarter and a 1:02 middle-half.
"It didn't seem like anybody was making up that much ground from where I was sitting, so I still thought I was in good shape. Then as soon as he got out of the turn and into the stretch, I asked him and I thought he responded well and felt I was in the clear."
Maintaining his two and a quarter length advantage with an eighth of a mile to go, Plano soon had company.
"I heard Tax Relief [and driver Dave Siegel] making a bid around mid-stretch and I had a slight concern at that point. I, however, got into my horse a little bit and he responded well once again and fought him off right through the wire."
Owned by Dan Tullio and James Mascola in partnership with trainer Matias Ruiz, the six-year-old won ($2.60) by one length in 1:57.1. Tax Relief finished in second and Cowboy Hanover (Kevin Anderson) finished five and three-quarter lengths farther back in third.
"The horse is sharp and has been all along and throws a solid race every time I've sat behind him. He's a very nice animal," concluded Plano.
(Cal Expo)