by Mark Ratzky, publicity, Cal Expo Harness

Sacramento, CA — Franky Provolone is still looking for his first victory of the year, but he’s certainly knocking on the door after turning in a solid second to the classy Franks Best last weekend at Cal Expo.

The 8-year-old trotting son of Armbro Scribe is the pride and joy of Robin Clements, having made many winner’s circle appearances while carrying her banner. Franky Provolone’s current bankroll stands at more than $155,000 and he set his lifetime mark of 1:55.4 last summer at Running Aces.

“It’s been kind of a drought with Franky since he came back from Minnesota,” Clements said. “I gave him a month off after Running Aces and kind of pushed him back a bit too early to have him ready, especially when he had to race against powerhouses like El Azteca and Its Not Over.”

Clements feels following those horses home on a constant basis may have had an impact on his game.

“I think mentally it took a toll on him. I’ve been trying to freshen him up and get back the drive that he always had.

“He’s actually a timid horse and not the best eater, so I have to feed him like he’s at a buffet with a little of this and a little of that. He does love apple time, though, especially when Kathy Plested pops over and they have apple time together.”

As mentioned earlier, Franky Provolone is coming off a good runner-up effort to another 8-year-old Armbro Scribe offspring in Franks Best, who has a lot of class and $200,000-plus in his bank account.

“I’m trying to build his confidence back up,” Clements noted. “He’s getting lots of extra outside pen time and we’ll just go from there.”

It shouldn’t be long before Franky Provolone is getting the cheese again around here.

Mini-Series final, Jackpot 6 carryover spotlighted

A Mini-Series finale headed by Im Fasterthanu and Keystone Shaye and a $41,689 Jackpot 6 carryover headline the Friday evening Watch and Wager LLC program at Cal Expo.

First post for the 10-race card is 6:40 p.m. and the Jackpot 6 is one of four wagers on the program that feature a reduced 16 percent takeout rate.

The other wagers with the lower takeout rate are the Hi-5, which like the Jackpot 6 is a 10 cent minimum bet; the 50 cent Pick-5; and the 20 cent Pick-4, which comes with a $20,000 guaranteed pool on Friday and $25,000 guaranteed pool on Saturday and Sunday.

The Jackpot 6 wager finds 70 percent of the net pool paying out to tickets with the most winners and 30 percent of the net pool designated for the carryover.

If there is one unique ticket selecting six winners, the entire net pool and the carryover is paid to the holder of the ticket. If that should happen Friday night, they would receive the entire net pool and a cool $41,689 bonus.

Looking at Friday’s main event, Imfasterthanu and Keystone Shaye figure to get plenty of tote attention after proving punctual favorites in their respective divisions last week. Edwin Quevado conditions Imfasterthanu, while Keystone Shaye hails from the Patricia Minnella barn.

This week will find the trotters and pacers in action on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, Feb 20-22.