Conditioned claiming pacers took center-stage at Cal-Expo on Friday night (May 11), in which Latino Hall was the pocket-rocket.

In advance of starting from post-position four in the field of six, driver Rick Kuebler gave his charge a better chance than the public did, given the fans sent off the five year-old at 17-1.

“He has been racing in good form, and he had raced competitively in this class (non-winners of eight) last week, which was his first start in this class,” said Kuebler. “So I felt he was competitive in this race. I thought that Little Walter (Gilbert Herrera) or Shock And Awe (Rich Wojcio) could leave, and since I didn’t see any speed inside of me, plus with the fact that my horse is versatile, I decided to leave from the gate and see if I could sit in the two-hole.”

Leaving sharply and obtaining the lead just before the first-turn, Latino Hall would soon be yielding for the pocket to Little Walter at the quarter-mile pole, timed in :28.4–a pocket that be his well past the opening quarter.

“I felt that I was following possibly the best horse, and I was going to be content to track him until the stretch.”

Remaining, as expected, in the pocket, the field would reach the half-mile pole, timed in :57.3, all while Kuebler was pleased at how the race was developing.

“The fractions were moderate and I was comfortable where I was. I felt if things kept going according to plan, combined with a good effort from my horse, that he could be right there.”

Now locked in the box at the three-quarter mile pole, timed in 1:26, Kuebler knew his plan was still working, but a little luck was now needed.

“I was still following a very live horse and my horse felt good. I knew, however, that in order to take my shot at Little Walter that I would have to shake loose at some point.”

Finding racing room and now two-wide while under urging at the seven-eighths mile pole, Kuebler had every reason to be optimistic.

“As soon as I was able to tip him out–he started to accelerate and I felt confident he was going to collar Little Walter. And without anybody else coming on the outside, I thought that he’d be the winner. As it turned out, with the way he was accelerating, I felt he was going to get to the front before the wire, and that’s what he did.”

Owned by trainer Mark Anderson, Latino Hall would wear down Little Walter in the shadow of the wire to win by three-quarters of one length, in 1:54.1, which equaled a lifetime best.

“He has been racing consistent as of late and deserved to win,” Kuebler finished.

Little Walter had to settle for second, and Pacing Artist (Lou Pena) finished another 1-3/4 lengths back, in third.

Live racing will resume at Cal-Expo on Saturday. Post-time is at 6:15 p.m. (PDT). On Saturday, Cal-Expo will offer Dollar Night, on which hot-dogs; beer, soda, tacos, and wine will be sold for one dollar, each.