by Scott Ehrlich, publicity director, Sacramento Harness Association

Sacramento, CA — Two $4,800 divisions of claiming handicaps from $8,000 to $12,000, on both gaits, were the featured attractions at Cal-Expo on Thursday night (August 23), in which Deep Red and TV Mom were much the best.

In the pacing feature, Deep Red would be sent to the lead from post position seven in the field of the same number while joined by four others, which had him five-wide to the first turn, four-wide into it, and three-wide after an eighth of a mile. It wasn’t until the field had traveled 3-16ths of a mile that the 4-year-old would find himself two-wide while covered up, into a :28.3 first quarter.

Left alone on the rim to the 5-16th-mile pole, Deep Red wouldn’t clear what appeared to be a tough lead until after three-eighths of a mile. Owner/trainer/driver Rocky Stidham, however, states otherwise.

“It wasn’t that tough of a lead to get there even though it might have looked that way because we ended up getting to the quarter in just :28.3 and I was covered up after a while,” said Stidham.

Reaching the half-mile marker, timed in :57, Stidham would ask for a little more on the final turn.

“I was keeping him steady in the final turn in his own comfort zone, and since I didn’t feel much pressure around the turn, I thought I’d let him pace on.”

Opening up the lead at the five-eighths-mile pole, Deep Red would trip the beam at the three-quarters, timed in 1:25.2, with more good things to follow.

“In the stretch he was real good and was watching the other horses and gauging his speed.”

Holding firm to win by three-quarters of a length, Deep Red would stop the timer at 1:54.2. Fearless Sahbra (Rick Plano), who yielded to Deep Red for the pocket, made it close, but only at the wire, while second. Titan Seelster (Tim Clevenger) finished another two lengths farther back in third.

“It was an awesome mile — which all wins are, but he was really good,” Stidham finished.

In the co-featured trot, TV Mom would start last from post position six in the field of a half-dozen and improved to fifth through a first quarter timed in :29.1.

It wouldn’t be until the field approached the half-mile pole, timed in :59, that driver Lemoyne Svendsen would pull his charge.

Now racing first-over until flushing cover at the five-eighths-mile pole, TV Mom would race tight on her cover at and through the three-quarters, timed in 1:29.1.

With 3-16ths of a mile to go, Svendsen would move his charge three-wide and brush her into the lead with an eighth of a mile to go. From that point on, the pair would draw away in the final sixteenth of a mile to win by four convincing lengths. Owned by Maurice Sigmon and trained by Kennedy Lindsey, TV Mom would score in 1:58.2, a lifetime best. Cherry Tree Luke (Jim Lackey) would close to just get up for second, and N V Warlord would finish a half length farther back in third.

Live racing will resume at Cal-Expo on Friday (August 24) and continue through Saturday. Post time on Friday and Saturday is at 6:30 p.m. (PDT). On Friday, Cal-Expo offers 25-cent buffalo wings.

Cal-Expo offers guaranteed $10,000 pools on all Pick-4’s!