Easter Call shows his mettle at Cal-Expo

He was upset in his last, but with the return of his regular pilot, Easter Call got back on the winning track.

Open 1 Handicap trotters, racing for a $6,100 purse, were featured at Cal-Expo on Friday night (April 30), on which Easter Call was too tough.

Starting from post-position five in the field of six, Easter Call's luck was already on his side before the starter yelled 'go.'

"I saw that Putoneonnetformom (Rocky Stidham) wasn't on the gate - - which was good for me because I thought the horse was a very solid contender," said Lackey.

With Putoneonnetformom, who was gunning for his third in-a-row, having eliminated himself by being well off the gate as a result of switching over to the pace, Lackey sent his gelding to the front, but didn't obtain the lead until just before the field had traveled 3-16ths of a mile.  Did Lackey use his trotter into a fast :28.1 first-quarter?

"It was downwind and it seemed like he was kind of trotting like he usually does, but I was a little surprised when the time came up that much and it did concern me some."

Getting a :30.4 second-quarter breather into a headwind, the nine year-old reached the half-mile juncture, timed in :59.

"It was a similar mile to what he did when I last drove him in his April 8 qualifier where he seemed to give himself a rest in the second quarter.  As a result I thought he might be alright."

Chasing after his charge a little past the five-eighths mile pole, Lackey had good reason.

"I didn't want him to fall completely asleep as I was just trying to keep him alert."

Responding to being asked and starting to get revved up to the midway point of the final-turn, Lackey, at the three-quarter mile marker, timed in 1:29.1, was expecting good things off a 1:01 middle half.

"I knew that usually when he comes off the corner that he picks it up a little bit."

Now in the lane and drawing clear to the seven-eighths mile pole under urging, Lackey went to harder work.

He didn't feel as strong in the stretch as he did in the April 8 qualifier, but he seemed to be holding them off at that point.  So at that point I tried to keep after him."

Never letting his foes get close to catching him, the Mark Anderson owned & trained pupil won ($2.80) by two-lengths in 1:57.4, equaling a seasonal mark while notching his 36th career triumph.  The pocket sitting Jam And Jelly (Luke Plano) finished in second, and Ailene's Prince (Steve Wiseman) finished another 3-1/2-lengths farther back, in third.

"It was a solid race for a veteran horse," finished Lackey.(Cal Expo)