Pick-4 Pools to greet Cal-Expo fans Saturday
February 17, 2007,by Scott Ehrlich, Publicity Director, Sacramento Harness Association
Fans wagering on Cal-Expo on Saturday not only have a solid card to make money on, but both the Early & Late Pick-4’s will provide big moneymaking opportunities.
Normally on Saturday, the Late Pick-4 (Races 9-12) is the big attraction, as the pool, as it also is on Friday, is guaranteed at $20,000. Friday night, however, the Late Pick-4 was unsolved, as fans only correctly selected three of the winning four horses. As a result, a carryover of $14,093.74 will be added into the Early Pick-4 pool, which starts with race two. The estimated Early Pick-4 pool is $40,000. Post time for the second race is scheduled for 6:20 p.m. (PT).
Alexa Hall Reclaims Queens Throne
She had won eight of her last nine outings until getting upset in her last, but Alexa Hall wasted no time by quickly getting back on the winning track.
The best pacing distaffers, racing for an $8,500 purse, met up on a beautiful evening on Friday at Cal-Expo, where the first race post-time temperature was 71 degrees, which was apparently to the liking of Alexa Hall, as she proved to be too tough.
Before drawing post-position four in the field of five, trainer and driver Bruce Clarke had nothing but confidence despite the second place finish the week before.
“She had trained awesome this week, and I was pretty sure she could beat this field,” said Clarke. “My strategy was to take her off the gate, but that changed behind the gate when I looked across to see if Summer Franco (Rick Plano) was leaving. If she was leaving, I wasn’t. If she wasn’t leaving, I was. She didn’t, so I did.”
Pacing forward off the gate, then putting forth a quicker burst of speed before the field had traveled a sixteenth of a mile, Clarke was making sure he had no front-end troubles.
“Besides the fact that she gets a little lazy once in a while, I asked for more speed because I thought Luke (Plano) would keep coming with Tawny Reserve, but he took her to the back. Since I thought Luke would be coming with his horse, I wanted to make the front quickly.”
Making the lead after an eighth of a mile, Clark would immediately apply the brakes, while reaching the quarter-mile pole, in :28.1.
“I was going to try and rate her a little bit, but it didn’t matter whether I cut it or not.”
With the pace clearly slowing up in the second-quarter mile, Luke Plano blasted Tawny Reserve out of last, which had his mare flying at the three-eighths mile pole.
“I was quite happy that Tawny Reserve was coming and I was going to let her go and follow her, as I knew she’d carry me to the top of the lane. Plus, even though my mare will race any which way I race her, she’s better from behind.”
Yielding for the pocket to the half-mile pole, timed in :58.2, Clarke was right to the point about his chances.
“I still didn’t think they could beat her.”
Now sitting a two-hole in the final-turn, Clarke would take a look back to the 11-16 mile pole, where he would see a first-over Brooklets Kia (Ed Hensley), and a second-over Summer Franco, thus forcing his hand.
“I chased after her and popped her earplugs at the 11-16 mile pole as I just wanted to make sure I didn’t get caught in the hole with her.”
Moving uncovered to the three-quarter mile pole, timed in 1:27.2, Clarke felt confident in more ways than one.
“She felt real good, and I didn’t think they could beat her.”
Urged some into the stretch, and taking over the lead at the seven-eighths mile pole, Clarke would now urge his charge stronger.
“I reached up and hit her a few times when I saw Little Bit Country (Steve Hyman) coming up the inside. I know Little Bit Country can get home pretty good, and I didn’t want my mare to fall asleep. When I asked her for more, she responded and hung on.”
Owned by Patricia Waldeck in partnership with Jack Coffey, Alexa Hall would win by one length, in 1:54.3.
“The mare gives 110 percent every time she races. She has been very good, and like I have said before, she continues to be a very good buy for us,” Clarke concluded.
Little Bit Country finished in second, and Brooklets Kia finished just a head father back, in third.