by Mark Ratzky, publicity, Cal-Expo

Sacramento, CA — The second round of stakes action for the 3-year-olds is coming up next weekend at Cal-Expo, and George Reider relates he wouldn’t trade places with anybody when it comes to the trotting fillies.

Reider trains and co-owns Sheila’s Dream with Maurice Sigmon, and if her return to the wars last week is any indication, she’s going to be a tough customer when the big money is up for grabs.

The daughter of Website-Wannasleepover accounted for one of the four stakes events for her division at the end of last season, dominating that evening while going off-stride at the start in two of the other gatherings. She had no such problems in last week’s comeback with conditioned foes, as she overcame an outside post and proved clearly best with Rick Plano.

“She’s come back great and really matured and filled out,” Reider related after the victorious mile. “The plan after that last stakes race was to give her some time to grow up and everything we penciled in has worked out perfectly to this point. The plan was to give her two races and then go into the stakes races.”

When Plano came back from last week’s tour, he said something that made Reider even more pleased than what he saw from the grandstand.

“Rick said she’s come back twice as good, so that gives me a lot of confidence.”

NHHC qualifying rounds begin Friday

Beginning Friday evening (April 3), Cal-Expo is offering four fans the chance to compete in the $50,000 guaranteed National Harness Handicapping Contest to be held at the Meadowlands on April 25.

The winning contestants will get the $400 entry fee and $400 contest bankroll, round trip airfare, hotel room, rental car reimbursement, cocktail reception on April 24 and a dinner buffet on April 25.

There will be qualifying rounds on this coming Friday and Saturday (April 4) and the following Friday, April 10, with the final round set for Saturday, April 11. In addition to Cal-Expo, participating satellite locations in the state are Bakersfield, Pleasanton, Los Alamitos, Lancaster, National Orange Show, Big Fresno Fair, Fresno Club One, Ventura and Victorville.

Qualifying rounds will also be held at San Jose, Santa Rosa, Stockton, Riverside County Fair, Monterey, Lake Perris, San Mateo, Golden Gate Fields, Vallejo, Barona and Del Mar Surfside.

Winning contestants will be determined by those winning qualifying rounds and being in the top four in the final round on April 11. The top 20 contestants on each qualifying round day will compete in the final round on April 11, with the top four going to the NHHC.

Contestants must sign an affidavit that they will be able to compete in the contest, leaving Sacramento on Friday morning, April 24, and returning from New Jersey on Sunday morning, April 26. Rules and entry forms will be available at the participating California satellite wagering facilities.