by Scott Ehrlich, publicity director, Sacramento Harness Association

Sacramento, CA — Strategic plans didn’t go as hoped, but that didn’t stop Final Choice from a dominating win.

Four conditioned trotters, and one in to be claimed for $30,000, racing for a $4,900 purse, were featured at Cal-Expo on Thursday night (August 9), in which the only horse in for a tag scored.

In advance of starting from the outside post in the field of five, owner/trainer/driver Gilbert Herrera was expecting the best from his horse, as long as he could race him the way he wanted.

“I thought I had a pretty good chance, but I did want to duck him,” said Herrera.

With the field still in behind the starting gate and well before the start, the speedy Youngblood Hanover (Rick Kuebler) would make a break that would displease Herrera.

“Youngblood Hanover kind of messed up my plans when he broke because I was expecting him to cut a pretty fast mile which would have made everyone have to work to keep up. When he broke, it gave everybody else a better chance.”

Coming away in fourth into a :28.4 opening quarter-mile, Herrera was now happy — but not for long.

“When I saw the first quarter was :28.4, I was very pleased because I was expecting Easter Call (Lou Pena), who was on the lead, to go a little more — which was good for me because I wanted to race my horse from behind. But, he didn’t go on and I got jammed up some past the 5-16th-mile pole. That forced me to move to the outside because we were going way too slow.”

Brushing up at the three-eighths-mile marker and clearing to the lead just past the half-mile pole, timed in :59, was Herrera concerned about having to use his horse as well as having to race on the front?

“He was idling to the front, so I wasn’t concerned about having used him. As for being on the lead, I felt since the first half was pretty soft, that he had a good chance, despite the fact that I didn’t want to be on the front.”

With the field now heading toward the final turn, Herrera did not restrict his charge.

“I let him trot going into the last turn and when I saw ‘Mooney’ (Lemoyne Svendsen) coming first-over with Photo Delight, I let my horse trot a little more, plus I popped his earplugs midway through the turn and he responded very well.”

Leading by 1-3/4 lengths at the three-quarter-mile pole, timed in 1:28.2, Herrera had good reason to be confident.

“I thought they’d have to trot a little more than him to catch him because most of these trotters could go the same final quarter with him, so they had to go better than the same final quarter to beat him.”

Under urging into the stretch and opening up the lead, Final Choice would expand his lead at the seven-eighths-mile pole and would continue at mid-stretch to put more distance between himself and his foes while now under just fairly mild urging while on his way to a 3-3/4 length triumph in 1:57.1, a seasonal best and his 29th career victory. Easter Call finished in second, and British Columbia (Steve Hyman) finished another three-quarters of a length farther back in third.

“He was a little stronger tonight and raced better than he had been in his last couple of starts. He was willing to win tonight and raced excellent,” Herrera finished.

Live racing will resume at Cal-Expo on Friday (August 10) and continue through Saturday. Post time on Friday and Saturday is at 6:30 p.m. (PDT). On Friday, Cal-Expo offers Happy Hour between 6:00-8:00 p.m., where $1 beer, $2 wine and 25-cent buffalo wings are offered.

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