by Mark Ratzky, publicity, Cal-Expo

Sacramento, CA — Maxalax will be shooting for her 30th career snapshot when she goes postward Thursday night (March 19) at Cal-Expo, and trainer Frank Petrelli relates that her owners, the Bada Bing Stable and Owen Eiler, Jr., her driver, Steve Wiseman, plus her caretaker, Thelma Hernandez, are a huge part of the team.

The 7-year-old daughter of Denali was a multiple stakes winner in her younger days, going over the $130,000 earnings plateau with last week’s score, and has changed hands a few times over the last couple of seasons.

“I originally claimed her at Pocono Downs two years ago and brought her back to California, then she was claimed from me here before I took her back again,” Petrelli related. “She’s got a lot of back class and it shows.

“After she won here in November, she came out of it real sore and I actually didn’t think she’d ever make it back to the races. We thought about breeding her, but the owners wanted to give her every chance to get back and that’s where her caretaker really made the difference.

“Every day it was ice and cold water, cold water and ice, around the clock. It’s a tribute to Thelma that Maxalax has returned to the races and it makes the wins even sweeter.”

After a needed effort and a troubled trip in her first two tries on the comeback trail, Maxalax has two victories and a near-miss from her last starts, including last week where she flew home for Wiseman for the 1:56.1 tally.

“The thing I really like about Steve is that he drives a horse for the horse, not for the race, and that’s what she needs now,” Petrelli continued. “She’s never going to be what she was, so I want to be careful and not put her in too tough. As far as breeding goes, she still could be bred this year and we’re just going to take it race by race.”

A dark horse for the upcoming stakes

Jan Crowell has been a horse lover all her life, but it wasn’t until seven years ago that she got involved in harness racing.

“I was introduced to the sport by my ex-husband, and now I love it,” said the California native, who resides in Grass Valley, some 60 miles east of Sacramento.

Crowell currently campaigns the 3-year-old Hi Ho Silverheel’s homebred Coal Younger, who takes his lessons from Tom Wine and made his sophomore debut a winning one last week with James Kennedy in the bike. Crowell also raced his half-sister Cameo Run, both being out of the Run The Table mare Tree Chest.

“I helped birth Coal Younger, and he was black as coal, so that’s where the name comes from,” Crowell explained. “From day one, he was full of energy and very playful and he’s still that way. He just loves to play in the snow out here.”

Coal Younger made five starts last season, coming away with a 1:58.2 score in November, then didn’t see evening action again until his victorious return last week.

“He was here at my place in November, December and January, then went back to the track. Tom has done a great job with him.”

Coal Younger is set to suit up again in Friday’s (March 20) first race, and if things go according to plan, Jan said that the dark-hued pacer will be pointed for the Sire Stakes that get underway in April and run for two months.

“We’ll just have to see how things go, but he seems to have come back very well,” she noted.

Crowell noted that half-sis Cameo Run is no longer racing, but is still very much in the picture as a riding horse and is enjoying her post-racetrack days.

Fox Harbor is back on track

“Fox Harbor is back,” Lou Pena declared earlier this week. The 6-year-old trotting son of Angus Hall was the dominating player in the division at the start of the season, but his recent form was anything but spectacular before last week’s coast-to-coast score.

Fox Harbor had been making breaks in his evening appearances, but had no problems staying on gait last week as he toured the oval in 1:58.4 with ease for Rocky Stidham.

“His problem is the rain,” trainer Pena explained when asked about Lawrence Keethe and John Darrah’s color-bearer. “His feet get tied up when the track is slick and he slips. I was very happy with his last race, though, and he looks like he’s back in form now.”

Fox Harbor shows up for work in Saturday’s (March 21) co-featured eighth race, where he will face the likes of TV Mom and Cherry Tree Luke, who both had the vexing task of lining up against Hitchiker and Girlie Tough in the Open at most recent asking.

No doubt they will both appreciate the softer assignment this time around. Cherry Tree Luke is also conditioned by Pena, who has three in the line-up with I Look Special also representing the shedrow in this cast of nine.

Cherry Tree Luke is owned by Clint Lugar and the 9-year-old son of Sierra Kosmos is looking to add to a $174,000 bankroll with a 1:57.2 mark that was set four years ago. His most recent tally came with a softer crew on January 27, as he got a confident drive at 3-5 and proved three-quarters of a length the best that evening. He was the pocket-sitter behind Hitchiker last time and was beaten a length by TV Mom for the place spot.

TV Mom races for Maurice Sigmon, takes her lessons from George Reider and will have Tim Maier guiding. She proved a punctual favorite two back, then had her hands full in last week’s Open. She figures to be making a nice late impression in this field.