St Lads Lotto, who has rattled off three straight victories while steadily working his way up the class ladder at Cal Expo, will put his win streak on the line in Saturday night’s $6,000 Open Pace at the California track.
A 12-race card is on tap with first post set for 6:10 p.m. A reminder that the trotters and pacers are now in action on Saturday and Sunday nights, with Friday racing being added to the schedule beginning on December 26.
St Lads Lotto is a four-year-old Ontario-bred son of Stonebridge Regal that carries the banner of Ferne and Jack Frydman. He is conditioned by Mark Winnacott and will have Steve Wiseman at his controls while doing his work from Post 6 slot in his 10-horse clash Saturday.
A 1:52 winner last season at Mohawk Racetrack, the dark-hued performer had to settle for minor awards in his first two starts during the current Cal Expo meet, but has had his picture taken three times in a row since. The most recent snapshot came two weeks ago when he rallied from last to get the job done over a ‘sloppy’ track with Wiseman giving directions.
Set to line up against the razor-sharp Winnacott trainee are Paydaze On The Way, Stable Eyes, China King, Mar Dream, P H Jackpot, No Gin, Rusty Skip, Cenalta Power, and A Real Miracle.
Cenelta Power captured the November 15 Open Pace in an 11-1 upset in his local debut. The Alberta invader is owned, trained and driven by Ryan Grundy. He sat a tracking trip in last month’s score and ignited when it counted to be up by a half-length that evening for his fifth score on the season.
There are now four wagers each night at Cal Expo that feature a reduced 16 per cent takeout rate. They are the 50-cent Pick 5, the Jackpot 6, the Pick 4 and the Hi-5.
(With files from Cal Expo)