by Mark Ratzky, publicity, Cal Expo Harness

Sacramento, CA — A $24,192 carryover in the Jackpot 6 and a $30,000 guaranteed gross pool for the Pick-4 are among the wagering highlights on Friday’s (Jan. 30) program at Cal Expo.

The Jackpot 6 and the Pick-4 are both offered with a reduced 16 percent takeout rate, along with the Pick-5 and the Hi-5. The Jackpot 6 and Hi-5 are 10 cent wagers; the Pick-5 is a 50 cent bet and the Pick-4 comes with a $30,000 guaranteed pool and can be purchased in 20 cent increments.

Going into Friday’s program, the carryover on the Jackpot 6 stands at just shy of $25,000. The 10 cent minimum wager pays out 70 percent of the net pool to the tickets with the most winners, with the remaining 30 percent designated for the carryover on those nights.

When there is only one unique winning ticket selecting all six winners, the entire net pool for that night and the carryover is paid to the holder of that ticket.

There was a mandatory payout when the last meet completed on Dec. 21, with a carryover of $22,655 going into that program. A total of $45,330 was wagered that evening and the payout was $2,106 for each 10 cent ticket.

Racing will be conducted this week on Friday and Saturday nights, with no racing on Super Bowl Sunday (Feb. 1). Next week, there will be Saturday and Sunday night programs, Feb. 7 and 8.

Following that, there will be back-to-back three-night weeks with cards on Friday through Sunday, Feb. 13-15; and Friday through Sunday, Feb. 20-22.

Open Trot, Distaff Pace, Sire Stakes set

An Open Trot headed by El Azteca and Its Not Over; a Distaff Open Pace and a trio of $10,000 California Sire Stakes are on tap Friday night at Cal Expo. First post for the 14-race card is 6:10 p.m.

Looking at the 4-year-old Sire Stakes Trot, Placer, Ahh Panama and Bank Of Lodi are the major players after finishing in that order in the most recent stakes clash for this division two weeks ago.

Placer is a homebred son of Panama Hanover out of the Website mare Charlotte’s Web who races for Desomer Stables Inc. with Vickie Desomer the conditioner and husband Steve in the sulky. He prevailed by a neck over Ahh Panama in that last added-money clash in January, adding another trophy to his display case.

Ahh Panama is a daughter of Panama Hanover who races for Hank Wieseneck, Marty Garey and Bob Johnson with Johnson training and Steve Wiseman doing the honors. A stakes victress last season, she is looking for some revenge after just missing in that stakes two weeks ago.

Bank Of Lodi has been a stakes winner at 3 and 4 for his owner/breeders Mary Harris and Pierre Girard, with Girard training and Luke Plano in his usual spot in the bike. The New Age Hanover mare accounted for the Dec. 14 stakes clash in coast-to-coast fashion, and then carved out the fractions in that last stakes get-together and was no match for Placer and Ahh Panama in the stretch.

The 3-year-old pacing filly stakes will be a rematch between Avila Beach and Smash, who were one-two in the initial big-money affair in this division, while the Sire Stakes for the 3-year-old trotters goes as a non-betting affair prior to the regular program.

The Open Trot is set as the third race on the evening and should provide another great battle between El Azteca and Its Not Over, who have dominated things at the head of the class during this meeting. James Kennedy guides the former for owner/breeder/trainer Marco Rios, while Chip Lackey will be in his usual spot behind Its Not Over for trainer Bob Johnson.