by Mark Ratzky, publicity, Cal-Expo

Sacramento, CA — After going some 15 months without a victory, the pacing mare Flirtiscape comes into Thursday night’s (February 19) Cal-Expo feature riding a two-race winning streak.

Lou Pena trains and co-owns the daughter of Artiscape and Jim Lackey has been in the sulky for the last two scores. After handling a conditioned crew in the slop on February 5, Flirtiscape came right back and posted a 20-1 upset in last week’s Filly and Mare Open, with the final clocking just a tick off her 1:55.3 career mark.

“I was very pleasantly surprised with that last win,” Pena related. “Lackey worked out a real nice second-over trip behind the favorite and she responded when he asked.”

Pena claimed Flirtiscape back in October of 2007, and didn’t get much from the purchase in eight appearances the following year. After making some menacing noises late last month, she has put it all together in her last two trips to the post with Lackey.

“Last year, she had problems with lameness and was definitely off her game,” Lou said. “We ended up turning her out and now she seems to be doing a lot better. There were several starts there where she was drawing outside posts and just had too much to do, but the last couple she’s been inside and that really helps.”

While she was a big number going into last week’s Open, her pilot pointed out that she did have an ace in the hole that many may not have noticed.

“Her final quarters had been very good,” Lackey noted after the surprise. “Her final half the week before was actually better than any of the Open mares that raced that same night.”

This trotter is singing in the rain

No need to ask the trotter Classy Lil Buck if he enjoys the winter weather, as he’s recorded three wins and a third from his four appearances over off tracks this season.

Tim Clevenger conditions the 4-year-old son of Armbro Seminary and also co-owns along with his father, Gene, and the homebred comes into this week’s action riding a two-race winning streak. He crushed a softer group over a ‘good’ track two weeks ago, then came right back and parlayed a pocket trip into a victory on the class rise last week with regular pilot Rich Wojcio.

“He was a slow learner, but he’s been racing into shape,” Clevenger related. “As far as off tracks go, it can add to the problems for a trotter, but this horse loves to roll around in the mud when we put him in a pen outside his stall, so I’m thinking he feels like he’s playing and it doesn’t bother him at all in a race.

“He’s actually one of the best-gaited horses I’ve ever sat behind, and the couple of times he’s made breaks it hasn’t been his fault. The last one came in that race where John McKeon’s mare (Caviart Annie) threw him and caused a long delay, and Classy Lil Buck got pretty wound up waiting for the gate to roll. We also made a couple of adjustments that night that didn’t work out.”

Since making that miscue, the Clevenger trainee has made back-to-back trips to the charmed circle.

“That first win was a pretty easy spot, and last week Rich gave him a great two-hole trip from the rail,” Tim said. “He said afterwards that the horse was perfect.”

In addition to pointing out how much Wojcio has contributed to this one’s progress, he also credited his girlfriend Sabrina Shaw with giving plenty of tender loving care to the up-and-coming performer. Put it all together and you have a young trotter on a roll.

When he’s good, he’s very good

There may not be a streakier performer on the grounds than Deep Red, who comes into this weekend seeking his fourth straight trip to the charmed enclosure.

Rocky Stidham owns, trains and drives the 6-year-old son of Little Steven, who has $110,000 in the bank and a 1:52.4 mark that was set over this layout last season. While he has certainly won his share over four years of competition, he’s also had his streaks on the other end of the spectrum.

“He is a horse with some issues, and when anything is even a little off it takes him a while to get back on track,” Stidham related. “We made some changes recently and he’s certainly feeling good right now.”

Deep Red began the year with a quartet of what could be described as disappointing miles at short odds, but he’s been on his game the last few weeks. He got the coveted “amazing mile” comment from trackman Marty “The Clawmaster” Bridges for his coast-to-coast tally on January 31, and has come back with two more snapshots at about the same level.

“One of the keys is that he was racing at what turned out to be a pretty tough class at the beginning of the year, and dropping in company got him that first win and I think he’s gained back his confidence. Believe me, he knows when he goes out there and wins instead of finishing behind horses.”

For Saturday’s assignment, Deep Red is moving up the class ladder a bit.

“I’m moving him up a notch, at least for this week, because I don’t want to run him down their throats,” his mentor explained.