by Scott Ehrlich, publicity department, Cal-Expo

Sacramento, CA — Not even being first-over and bringing up the favorite could stop Jess Or No from recording a solid win.

Trotters, in to be claimed for $20,000, were in the spotlight in the $6,300 Thursday night (March 13) feature at Cal-Expo, in which Jess Or No repeated.

In advance of starting from post position two in the field of seven, trainer/driver Ed Hensley was going to play the start by ear, or feel as it may be.

“I didn’t know what I was going to do strategy wise,” said Hensley. “What I was going to do all depended on how he felt behind the gate. He raced good the last week and I thought he had a good chance this week.”

Leaving and dropping in second as the field entered the first turn, Hensley would find himself in the pocket to the 63-1 Bangers And Mash N (Lou Pena) at the quarter-mile pole, timed in :29.3.

“I didn’t like the fact that I was behind Bangers And Mash N, so I knew that I’d have to pull whenever the train started.”

Sitting tight in the pocket at the half-mile station, timed in :59.3, Hensley was now okay with how things were going.

“The slow first half was okay and even though K D Rowdy One (Rocky Stidham) was behind me, I wasn’t really concerned at that time while still feeling good about my chances.”

Flushed first-over to the five-eighths pole by K D Rowdy One, Jess Or No would attack the longshot Bangers And Mash N and take an expanding parked-out lead at the three-quarter marker, timed in 1:28.4, all while K D Rowdy One was tracking right behind.

“My horse still felt good at the three-quarters and I had Bangers And Mash N buried, so obviously I was worried about K D Rowdy One.”

Clearing to the inside at the head of the lane while trotting nicely, Jess Or No would draw clear at mid-stretch under mild urging.

“I saw that K D Rowdy One was trying to get to my horse, but my horse was trotting as well down the lane as he was last week, so I could see that K D Rowdy One wasn’t going to catch me.”

Never letting the even-money favorite K D Rowdy One get too close, the Jessica Hensley owned Jess Or No would win ($5.20) by 1-1/4 lengths in 1:57.2, thus notching his 22nd career triumph. K D Rowdy One had to settle for being second-best, and Ailene’s Prince (Lemoyne Svendsen) finished another 2-3/4 lengths back in third.

“I was very impressed,” Hensley concluded.

Live racing will resume at Cal-Expo on Friday (March 14) and Saturday (March 15). Post times are scheduled for 5:35 p.m. (PDT). On Friday, Cal-Expo offers Happy Hour between 6:00-8:00 p.m., where $1 beer, $2 wine and $3 orders of buffalo wings are offered.

The Pick-Six at Cal-Expo is now a $1 wager.