by Scott Ehrlich, Publicity Director, Sacramento Harness Association

He had the pole, the plan was to be forwardly placed, and he’s known for his wicked late kick; that trifecta added up to a solid winning performance by The Pand Illusion.

Open l Handicap pacers, racing for a $7,500 purse, were co-featured on Friday night (November 3) at Cal-Expo Raceway, in which The Pand Illusion was the pocket-rocket.

In advance of starting from a very favorable post-position in the field of six, trainer and driver Rick Plano knew that he had more than an ordinary chance.

“It was his third start off of a layoff, so I figured three times was a charm,” said Plano. “Last week, from the nine-hole, he raced as good as he could from that post. Tonight, we got a very good draw based on money earnings, which gave us the one-hole, where it looked like things would set up for us. I felt he was the horse to beat, unless something really went wrong.”

With his nose right on the starting-gate while under a good hold, The Pand Illusion showed enough gate speed, which he hadn’t shown yet in his career, to secure the pocket just a sixteenth of a mile past the start.”

“I’ve never left with him, but I know he can leave that gate. I’m still trying to educate him, as he has only had 27 career starts.”

With Moonlight Bliss (Bruce Clarke) calling the tune in the first-quarter mile, timed in :27.4, Plano was pleased.

“I was glad to be in the two-hole, and with it being a short field, no one was looking to come out anywhere. So it looked like we were going to sit that way.”

With no change in position in the second-quarter mile, the field reached the half-mile pole, timed in :57.

Now with the field entering the final turn, Plano liked who he saw was the first to pull.

“Past the half-mile pole, Lindasfella came out first-over, which was good for me because I know Lindasfella isn’t nearly as good in the turns as he is in the stretch. This gave me a good chance of getting out without having to move early.”

Racing anxious in the pocket at the three-quarter mile pole, timed in 1:25.3, Plano only had to wait a just a little longer before stepping on the gas.

“As soon as I got daylight to the head of the stretch, I pulled his earplugs and he responded.”

Quickly taking the lead to the seven-eighths mile pole, there was simply no catching the four year-old.

“I drove on him a little more than I normally would, but he’s a little green when he’s on the lead and tends to get lazy. Between popping the earplugs and driving on him, he did his job by coming home in :27. It worked out exactly like I was thinking, and finally my “Plan-A” worked for a change,” Plano concluded.

Owned by Plano’s wife–Mary Ann, The Pand Illusion won by 1 3/4 lengths, stopping the timer at 1:53. The victory for Plano was one of three training wins and one of four driving wins for Cal-Expo’s leading trainer and driver.

Pulse (Ed Hensley) rallied late to finish in second, and Du Wah Diddy (Rocky Stidham) was just a nose farther back, in third.

Co-featured on the card was another $7,500 Open l Handicap pace, in which Tawny Reserve made it two in-a-row.

Owned by Dave and Kimberly Haness, and trained by Rick Plano, the five year-old mare, in leaving for the lead from post-position five in the field of six, was well-rated by driver Luke Plano through fractions of :28.4, :58.1, and 1:27, before stopping the timer at 1:55 on a track bias that was not at all favorable to horses on the lead. The victory for the young Plano was the first of three wins on the card.

Brooklets Kia (Ed Hensley) finished 1 1/2 lengths back, in second, and Hard On The Heart (Gilbert Herrera), the only boy in race, simply had to much ground to make up and finished another 1/2 length back, in third.

Live racing will resume at Cal-Expo on Saturday. Post-time is at 5:35 p.m. (PST). On Saturday, Cal-Expo will offer Dollar Night, on which hot-dogs; beer, soda, and wine will be sold for one dollar, each.

Guaranteed Late Pick 4 pool every Friday and Saturday

Sacramento Harness Association at Cal-Expo continues to offer a $20,000 (guar.) Late Pick-4 pool every Friday and Saturday, on races nine through twelve.