Sacramento, CA – Trotters will command the Cal Expo spotlight Sunday night (Feb. 14), with Flameon getting away from the likes of Silverhill Volo and Pridecrest while heading the cast for the $6,800 Open II contest.

There will be 12 races presented under the Watch and Wager LLC banner with first post set for 4:50 p.m. and the feature slotted as the third event of the evening.

Flameon is an 11-year-old son of Angus Hall out of the Valleymeister mare Benn’s Fire who is owned and was bred by Mark Anderson, hails from the Gordie Graham barn and will have Jacob Cutting in the bike from the assigned outside post in the field of seven.

Flameon has seen his last two starts remain in minor awards behind the razor-sharp Silverhill Volo and track record holder Pridecrest, but should appreciate getting away from that pair for Sunday’s assignment.

That was also the cast on January 16 three starts back, as Cutting sat a perfect trip with the Anderson charge and drew away by two lengths to reward his many backers as the 3-5 favorite that night.

The veteran sidewheeler comes into this assignment with 27 victories from his 84 trips to the post, has $133,645 in his bank account and established his 1:55.3 lifetime standard over this track six years ago.

Set to challenge Flameon this weekend are Jesse’s Student (Christoper Frenzel), Manley Stanley (Gerry Longo), Teachmehowtotry (Nick Roland), Bringthegold (Phil Knox), Md Magic (Luke Plano) and Major Al-Mar (Cordarius Stewart).

Delightfully Wild lives up to her name

Delightfully Wild’s victory in last week’s Filly and Mare Open Pace had the wow factor, as the Jessie Pacheco trainee looked more like a 1-5 shot than a 17-1 chance as she blitzed the field on the front end with new pilot Doug Chappell.

Richard Morita and David Yamada’s colorbearer flew to the front and immediately established command, opening up by as much as five lengths on the backside while posting fractions of :27.1, :54.4 and 1:23.2 on the way to a 1-3/4 length score in 1:52.2.

Even though Delightfully Wild had a couple of wins to her credit at this meet and came into the race with more $200,000 on her card and a 1:51.1 mark, she looked to have her work cut out last weekend while facing some very sharp distaffers. On the plus side, she had suffered through a couple of troubled trips.

“This was the first time Doug had driven her and I told him to go to the front and see what happens,” Pacheco related. “She can race very strong on the lead, which she showed last year at Hawthorne, and I felt she was ready for her best race.”

Having felt that, Jessie admits when he saw that :54 and change half-mile he was concerned. “I honestly thought she would get tired after that and probably be passed, but she was strong to the end and I was very proud of her.”

Pacheco explained that his horses were given some time prior to the start of this meet, so many of them are just now coming to their best races, as evidenced by Delightfully Wild’s scintillating once-around of this layout.

Can she keep the momentum going? Stay tuned.