Pacing fillies and mares are spotlighted on Saturday evening’s Cal Expo program, with the $10,000 Gary Budahn Final and the $7,000 Distaff Open headlining the action.
Watch and Wager LLC will present 11 races Saturday with things getting under way at 6:10 p.m. The Budahn goes as the third race and the Filly and Mare Open follows in the fourth-race slot.
The Kathie Plested barn looks strong in both events, represented by Dancingonthesand, Outlawintriguedbyu and Fancy Little Girl in the Budahn and Capitol Hill and Outrageousdelightn in the Open.
Capitol Hill is an eight-year-old Badlands Hanover mare who recently went over the $100,000 earnings mark and sports a 1:53.2 mark that was established two years ago. She races for George McChrystal and Plested with Mooney Svendsen at the controls.
In last week’s clash at the head of the ranks, Capitol Hill made every pole a winning, holding a clear advantage every step of the way and coming to the line with three-quarters of a length on Bettor Lady.
The latter has put together three straight strong miles here for owners Richard Morita and David Yamada and trainer Lino Pacheco. She was up in the final stride to hang a nose decision on Capitol Hill in the February 23 Open, then put in a solid finish in last week’s gathering for James Kennedy to complete the exacta.
Meanwhile, the Plested trio in the Budahn will be challenged by the Bob Johnson-trained Pink Lady; the James Kennedy trained-and-driven Lickcreek Speedway and Lookslikewemadeit from the Rick Schneider shedrow.
There are two wagers offered here each night that come with a reduced 16 percent takeout rate – the 50-cent Pick 5 on the first five races and the 20-cent Pick 4.
The Pick 4 comes with a $30,000 guaranteed gross pool on Fridays and a $40,000 guarantee on Saturdays.
(Cal Expo)