Power Of Key Largo is quietly having a nice meeting at Cal-Expo, with two wins and a second from her first five outings for trainer Matias Ruiz and driver Steve Wiseman.
The three-year-old Power Of Art homebred goes about her business for the partnership of Catalina Arriaga, Dan Tulio and Robin Branca and has proven she does her best work when allowed to sit back and blast home.
“She beat a pretty nice prospect from the Junior (Jim) Wilkinson (Jr.) barn in her first start last year and came a big last quarter that night,” Ruiz related. “There were some little things after that, but we freshened her up during the break and she’s come back well.”
Power Of Key Largo ignited when it counted on opening week to get her second lifetime snapshot, then didn’t fare so well in the next couple, but has rebounded with a second at 21-1 and last week’s tally, where she rallied from more than a dozen lengths back to win going away by four in a lifetime best 1:58.3 clocking.
“We added lasix two back,” Ruiz informed. “That and getting her to straighten out a little has made the difference. Steve does a great job, because he knows if you use her too much early, she won’t have the same closing kick.”
The second leg of the TVG Amateur Drivers Series will be taking place Saturday at Cal-Expo, where spots for next weekend's $8,000 finale will be decided. Long Last Look with Robert Stepien and LS Orchardwinner under David Siegel’s direction accounted for the two divisions of the opening leg.
Horses were offered for $2,500 base claiming prices last week, and Rick Bertrand took advantage to claim Long Last Look for himself and Douglas Flores, while LS Orchardwinner returned to David Merrick’s barn following his victory. This weekend they are in for $3,000 base tags, with no claiming from the final.
TVG is a proud sponsor of the Amateur series, and TrackMaster is supporting the event by giving away free programs and selections. They can be found at trackmaster.com/calx.
Live racing resumes at Cal-Expo on Thursday (September 16) and continues through Saturday (September 18). Approximate first-race post time is 5:45 p.m. (PDT).
Now on Saturdays, Cal-Expo will offer a reduced 15 per cent takeout rate on both the Early and Late Pick-4 wagers, with the Late Pick-4 having a $10,000 gross guaranteed pool.
(Cal-Expo)