by Mark Ratzky, publicity, Cal-Expo

Sacramento, CA — A quartet of $15,000 California Sire Stakes for 3-year-old trotters and pacers and the two-day East-West Amateur Driving Challenge are on tap this weekend at Cal-Expo.

The Driving Challenge is set for Friday (April 24) and Saturday nights (April 25) and will find the invading Billings team of Larry Farley, Dave Drew, Dave Offenberg and Tim Miller taking on the local contingent of Sue Boyce, Chris Hernandez, Rich Bertand and David Siegel.

Looking at the stakes action, the fillies will be in the spotlight on Friday evening with Sheila’s Dream and Firewall heading the cast for the trotting event, while Haggin Oaks and Silver Bloom are the marquee players among the pacers.

Sheila’s Dream was picking up her second trophy in the initial big-money clash of the year for the trotting distaffers two weeks ago, posting the mild upset over last year’s divisional champion Firewall. Sheila’s Dream goes for the team of Maurice Sigmon, George Reider and driver Rick Plano.

The colts hold the spotlight on Saturday. The first Stakes gathering of the season on April 2 saw Pacinello getting an overdue big-money tally in the pacing end, while Credit Score continued his reign at the head of the colt trotting division with a solid victory.

Pacinello had to be happy with minor awards behind Glad To Be Back in the stakes last year, but that pacer remains on the East Coast and the Rick Plano representative is poised to take over control. The D&E Racing color-bearer crushed his rivals by 6-1/4 lengths from the demanding nine post while coming a :26.3 final quarter en route to the 1:53.4 performance.

Credit Score was no less dominating in his contest for Bruce Clarke, who reins, trains and co-owns the Website homebred with Jack Coffey, Jack Toth and Heath Knolls Investments. He will be looking to solidify his position at the head of the division this weekend.

Offenberg representing the eastern team

Among the four Billings pilots set to invade for the East-West Amateur Driving Challenge this weekend is Dave Offenberg, who knows the feeling of standing in the winner’s circle following the prestigious Hambletonian as part owner of 1996 victor Continentalvictory.

Dave, who is married with five children and five grandchildren, has been a harness fan since his teenage days. He owned his first Standardbred in the mid 1980s and took up driving at age 50 some 11 years ago.

“I used to go to Roosevelt and Yonkers during the glory years, and then by chance I was playing softball with some guys who were putting together a partnership at the Meadowlands and that’s when I bought my first horse,” Dave explained.

Fast forward five or six years, and Offenberg is involved with the likes of Ron Gurfein and Jerry Silva while buying some promising babies. That parlayed into the Hambletonian score by Continentalvictory and a runner-up finish by Mr Vic in the fixture.

“We actually made the final five years in a row, and we’ve been trying to get back in ever since,” Dave said. “I’ve also been fortunate to campaign horses like Beat The Wire, Angus Hall and Yes Its True. When I turned 50, I decided I wanted to give driving a try. They told me I’d either hate it and never want to do it again, or I’d love it, and I loved it.”

Offenberg spent an entire winter in New Jersey learning to be master of the sulky, and estimates he has won approximately 35 races to this point.

“Being a part of the Billings races, I’ve been able to drive at lots of tracks in the United States and I’ve also been lucky enough to compete in Finland, Sweden and Italy.”

Dave is also proud to have won the Hambletonian Amateurs last season and was named Amateur Driver of 2008 by the Catskill/Goshen United States Harness Writers Association. He will be making his first trip to Cal-Expo for the East-West Challenge and is looking forward to driving over the mile layout.

Miller set for amateur challenge

Tim Miller will be another one of the four Billings drivers taking on the West Coast team in Saturday night’s second leg of the East-West Amateur Driving Challenge, and he’s looking forward to competing over this racetrack for the first time.

The 39-year-old Ohio native is married and a father of six, and relates he’s been a horse enthusiast for as far back as he can remember.

“I was absolutely horse crazy as a kid, and then I was introduced to harness racing by my brother when I was about 14 years old. I knew it was something I wanted to be involved with, and I’ve been driving and training for about eight years now. My best trotter would be AB Speedy Hall, and my best pacer is Lector Hanover.”

While his horses have generally done their work at the Ohio and Pennsylvania ovals, Miller notes that being a part of the Billings events has given him the chance to drive at many different venues.

“It’s great being a part of these events and getting the chance go to lots of different tracks. As a rule these are half-mile and five-eighths, and I’m looking forward to coming out there and racing over a mile track.”

By the way, Miller points out he isn’t the only horse lover in the family.

“My wife and one of my daughters also have a horse connection, competing in barrel racing events,” he noted.