Dougsmonkeybusines is unbeaten this year and will look to add another trophy to his case when he heads the cast for Friday night’s $15,000 California Sire Stakes for the four-year-old pacing males at Cal Expo.
There will be nine races presented by Watch and Wager LLC with first post set for 6:45 p.m.
Dougsmonkeybusines is a homebred son of Wind Me Up out of the General Aidid mare Moonshinenmonkeys who carries the banner of Doug Flores and Rick Bertrand. He is conditioned by Bertrand and will have Luke Plano back at the helm when he starts from the outside post five as the 6-5 morning line favourite in Friday's third race.
He comes into this assignment riding a four-race winning streak, including a victory in the most recent stakes dance for this group two weeks ago.
Sent off the 3-5 choice in that contest, Dougsmonkeybusines tracked the pace to the drive and then dug in when it counted to prevail by a head in a lifetime-best 1:54.4 mile.
Lukes Proclamation just missed in that stakes clash and will gunning for some revenge. The son of Captive Audience is owned by Derek Stout and Nancy Retzlaff, hails from the Doug Stout barn and will once again have Brad Irvine giving directions. He will start from the inside post and is the 5-2 second choice on the morning line.
A conditioned winner over a sloppy track last month, Lukes Proclamation made his stakes debut two weeks ago and came home with a rush to just miss after a stalking journey.
Rounding out the cast are Hollywood Double, who will have Mel Mullet doing the honours; Bin A Mystery with Mooney Svendsen handling the lines; and Polar Storm, who is guided by Shawn Thayer.
Cowboys Dirtyboots back on the beam
Cowboys Dirtyboots finally got over the hump last week when he recorded his first win of the year in his 13th appearance.
The 11-year-old son of Brandons Cowboy is owned trainer Marco Rios, Vince Jacobo and Virginia Thorsen, and had leading pilot Luke Plano doing the honours as he proved a punctual 2-1 favourite.
Cowboys Dirtyboots was actually the darling of the longshot players at the beginning of the meet last fall, winning at 10-1 and 22-1 in his first two starts, but was then blanked in his first dozen starts this year before getting the picture taken last Friday evening.
“I claimed him four years ago and he’s been very good to us,” related Rios. “He may be 11, but he acts more like a three or four-year-old around the barn and he’s great to train.”
Cowboys Dirtyboots recorded last week’s win in one of those Atmospheric River Pace events, so named because they were designed for horses who missed at least two starts because of the heavy rains that occurred in Sacramento.
(With files from Cal Expo)