by Mark Ratzky, publicity, Cal-Expo

Sacramento, CA — A pair of $15,000 California Sire Stakes for the 3-year-old trotting and pacing fillies are featured at Cal Expo on Friday night (Oct. 28).

Math Wiz, Whip And A Prayer, Poor House and Dine N Wine are among the major players in the pacing event, while Claim Jumper, Flea Flicker and Thatssomebracciola figure to get lots of attention in the trotting affair.

Math Wiz is a homebred daughter of Distinguishedbaron and the Artsplace mare Aftermath who races for Wayne and Rod Knittel with Bob Johnson the conditioner and Lemoyne Svendsen at the controls. A winner of three of her six starts, she picked up a stakes trophy on May 13 with a strong late surge and got a good tightener out of her comeback race last week.

Whip And A Prayer is gunning for her third added-money score this weekend for owner/breeder Frank Nevarez, trainer Gordie Graham and regular pilot Rich Wojcio. Like Math Wiz, this Hi Ho Silverheel’s offspring got a race under her belt last week after being off since the spring and packs a powerful punch in the stretch.

The field is rounded out by Hi Fidelity, who has the one hole with Scott Cisco guiding; Racetrack Diva for Tim Maier; Poor House, who will have Luke Plano in the sulky; Dine N Wine with Steve Wiseman; and Feetdon’tfailmenow, to be handled from the outside slot by Anthony Succarotte.

The field for the trotting event will line up this way: Chaxie with Scott Cisco; Eggwhite Inmy Beer for James Kennedy; Flea Flicker and Rich Wojcio; Dancinwiththedevil, who has the services of Steve Wiseman; Thatssomebracciola and Luke Plano; Claim Jumper and Steve Desomer; and Dancergirl with Jim Lackey giving directions.

Hi Fidelity gets that family feeling at Cal Expo

When the 3-year-old pacing filly Hi Fidelity became part of the Rick Cisco barn at Cal Expo in August, chances are she felt very much at home as she was joining her full sisters Groovin Hi and Cinnamon and full brother Gutsy Winds Ahead.

Hi Fidelity, who races for her breeder Laurette Odney and is now co-owned by Cisco, is fresh from a $93 upset last week that has earned her a return to Sire Stakes action on Friday. She has one stakes trophy on her mantle, earned when she was a member of the Rick Plano barn.

“Laurette and her husband Doug are great owners and I got Hi Fidelity about a month before this meet started,” Cisco related. “Now we’ve got the three sisters and a brother with us and I guess this makes us a pretty unique barn.”

Hi Fidelity had to settle for minor awards in her first three starts under the Cisco banner, but lit up the tote last week as she was aggressively handled on the front end by Rick’s son Scott and prevailed by a length as a 46-1 shot. She lowered her lifetime standard to 1:56.4 in the process.

“She had some excuses in those first three starts,” her trainer noted. “She was used hard early in the first race and then still needed a race in the second one. The race before last, she had traffic trouble and Scott said she hooked up on her left line when he tried to move inside in the stretch and lost her chance.

“We changed up a couple of things on her before last week’s race, and Scott told me he was going to race her hard and see if she was ready to go back to the stakes races. It was a good mile for her and she earned her chance this week.”

Amateurs in the Saturday spotlight

Saturday night’s (Oct. 29) program will feature the second leg of the Bronte Epilepsy Research Foundation Amateur Series, with pacers vying for berths in two $10,000 finales that will be decided next week.

Free TrackMaster Cal Expo past performances and analysis for the next two Saturday programs will be available at www.trackmaster.com/calx and at www.calexpoharness.com.

The Saturday action also includes a simulcast of the complete 12-race Breeders Crown program from Woodbine. The card features more than $6 million in purses and a pair of $100,000 guaranteed Pick-4 wagers.