by Mark Ratzky, publicity department, Sacramento Harness Association

Sacramento, CA — Temptation, who returned to his winning ways with a coast-to-coast decision last week, and Most Happy Lavros, who closed with a rush for second that evening, get another chance to settle the score in Wednesday’s (June 20) $6,300 main event at Cal-Expo.

The headliner is designed for pacers carrying claiming tags of $25,000 down to $18,000 and a field of six is set for action. Off the strength of his last decision, Temptation figures to have his share of backers as he goes postward for Summersby Stable, trainer Scott Cisco and pilot Tim Maier. An 11-time winner last season, including a 1:52.4 mark, he has posed following four of his 15 trips to the post this year.

After settling for some minor awards in his previous few outings, Temptation was sent off as the 2-1 second choice in his most recent foray while competing at this same level. Maier buzzed his charge right to the top, carved out all the fractions and then came home smartly to hold safe by three-quarters of a length over the hard-charging Most Happy Lavros.

The latter is 6-year-old who carries the banner of Legacy Solutions Inc. and is reined and trained by Rick Plano. He will be gunning for his eighth win of the year from 23 trips to the post. He posted his 1:53.2 career-best earlier in the year and picked up his most recent snapshot two back in a June 7 clash at this level.

Most Happy Lavros, who normally does his work from the back of the pack, used front-end tactics that evening for Plano and showed the way home by a half length over Temptation. The latter got his revenge last week, playing the role of pacesetter while Most Happy Lavros lagged early and then put in a :27.3 final quarter to be rapidly cutting into the margin.

Tens Hanover was actually the 9-5 favorite in that contest and is looking to make amends after checking in third. He goes about his business for KC Carvalho, with Tom Wine calling the shots and Luke Plano in the bike. He has clicked in five of his 18 appearances in 2007 and sports an excellent 1:50.3 mark from two years ago.

Tens Hanover was a winner with this caliber on May 31, putting in a very game first-over mile to prevail. He was a rallying third at next asking and then once again filled out the show spot in last week’s tour after being shuffled past the half. He could easily bounce back at what should be a bit better price here.

Hard On The Heart is returning to the claiming ranks after tackling tougher Open rivals in his last five starts and has to be respected. He races for Tom Perkins and gives trainer Wine two solid looks at the outcome with James Kennedy at the helm. He was a sharp victor two back and has plenty of back class in his corner.

Hanover D G N is a New Zealand-bred son of Holmes Hanover who hails from the Don Ratchford Stable and is co-owned by the trainer and Richard Michael with Lou Pena handling the reins. His last decision came with a softer group in early May, a race from which he was claimed by his current connections.

Rounding out the cast is Little Walter, who is moving up the ladder off a sharp victory. He competes for Don and Barbara Arnstine with trainer Gilbert Herrera giving directions and it will be interesting to see how he does with this saltier group.

An 11-race card is on tap, with the feature going as the fourth on the program.

Live racing resumes at Cal-Expo tonight (Wednesday), continuing through Saturday. Post time on Wednesday and Thursday is at 5:35 p.m. (PDT). Post time on Friday and Saturday is now at 6:15 p.m. On Wednesdays, admission is free, plus Cal-Expo offers a complete Lasagna dinner, with salad and bread, for just $2.00.

Cal-Expo offers guaranteed $10,000 pools on all Pick-4’s!

Bal-Cal offering mandatory payout

Wednesday night means it’s time for the popular Bal-Cal Pick 4 Challenge, which combines two races (races 10 and 11) from Balmoral Park in Chicago and a pair (races 10 and 11) from Cal-Expo. The $1 wager comes attached with a $25,000 guaranteed pool. Post time for the first leg of the Bal-Cal Challenge will be at approximately 8:23 p.m. (PDT).

Fans are reminded that this will be the final Bal-Cal until August, when Balmoral Park resumes its meeting. As a result, there will be a mandatory payout Wednesday.

Managing to connect these four cross-country winners can provide a jackpot, as there were payoffs of $20,000, $19,000 and $18,000 in the fall. Last week saw a pretty nice return, with $4,300 going to each winning $1 ticket.

The Cal-Expo victors did their part in adding to the value with Mattery Park getting the job done at $17.80 for Rocky Stidham, while Stealth Flyer finished off the Bal-Cal with an $18 score for trainer Bob Johnson and pilot Kevin Anderson. Both of these pacers were coming off slight dry spells and used off-the-pace tactics to overhaul the opposition when it counted.

What awaits handicappers in the two Illinois events followed by the pair of local jousts? Sharpen those pencils and take a shot.