Mixing It Up wins at Cal-Expo

It was supposed to be a needed start, but the action was fast and furious and Living It Up took full advantage of it.

A field of six pacers, five in on a condition, and one in for a claiming tag, were featured at Cal-Expo on Saturday night (June 5), on which the lone claimer Living It Up closed from last to first.

In advance of starting from post-position four, trainer Rick Plano was realistic.

"Being he was off three months, I was just hoping to get around there and hoping he'd come out of the race fairly well and have a chance to be a racehorse again," said Plano.
 
Coming away sixth and last, but while four of his other five foes left hard, Plano still knew what the plan was at the quarter-mile pole, but the early tempo wasn't hurting any.

"I didn't really have any intentions of getting involved in the race until the last quarter because of the layoff, but when they hung up :27.3 in the first-quarter with my horse keeping up well - - it was a good sign for me."

As if the race wasn’t already shaping up for the five year-old, things got even better when D Jokerman (Jim Lackey) made a 5-16ths move for the front.  The pace-setting Latino Hall and driver John Chappell, however, played hardball into a :56.3 first-half.

"I was still keeping up well at the half and they weren't that far away from me and I was feeling as good as I was in the first-quarter.  I still had no intentions of using him until the stretch - - but the pace had my plan working out well."

Now gapping two-lengths on the final-turn, it "appeared" at the three-quarter mile pole, timed in 1:24.4, that Living It Up needed the start.

"I was gapped a little bit, but I knew they were going fast again and I was just happy I was in range."

Angling in the upper-stretch and quickly gaining on the used horses in front of him, Plano soon pushed the button.

"When he picked them up as quick as he did, I figured I'd pull the earplugs and go for the win."

Now closing ground with every stride while in quest of catching Haggin Oaks (James Kennedy) who had also enjoyed the dispute by others and had taken over the lead at mid-stretch, Plano had his charge flying late.

"It was all the horse.  He’s a very, very, very good horse - - one of the best my wife owns.  And when he gets inside the sixteenth pole - - -it's going to take a very good horse to beat him."

Just up on the wire in dramatic fashion, Living It Up won ($13.60) by a head.  Owned by Dave Haness in partnership with Maryann Plano, the son of Western Ideal stopped the timer at 1:54, equaling a seasonal best and giving the pacer three wins in-a-row in a streak that started back on January 29.  Haggin Oaks finished in second, and Star Time Kid (Luke Plano) finished five-lengths farther back, in third.

"He raced way better than I expected and I just hope he's physically well on Sunday morning.  For a horse to come back off a three month layoff and do what he did even though they battled - - that tells me he's a great horse," concluded Plano.

For co-owner Maryann Plano, the victory was one of three ownership triumphs on the night.  For her husband Rick, the driving score was one of five wins on the night and one of four training wins.  For the three-day racing week, Plano recorded 14 driving wins and twelve training victories. (Cal-Expo)