Persuade Me convincing at Cal-Expo

A much happier lead than the week before equaled happy results for Persuade Me.

Filly & Mare claiming pacers were in the Cal-Expo spotlight on Thursday night (May 27) over a track listed as 'good,' on which Persuade me got back on the winning track to record her fifth win in her last six outings.

Leaving from post-two in the field of seven and getting into the pocket before the field had traveled a sixteenth of a mile, driver Jim Lackey, with the pace slowing up, moved his charge to the outside approaching the quarter-mile pole, timed in :29.1.

Two-moving to the front to the three-eighths mile marker, but while able to pace a :31 second-quarter into a 1:00.1 first-half, Lackey continued to rate his mare in the third-quarter until Ogs Si Bon (Anthony Succarotte) attacked to the three-quarter mile station.

Reaching the three-quarters, timed in 1:30, Lackey, despite the pressure, never looked to his right.

"Off the 1:00.1 first-half - - you know she'll have a good final half in her," stated Lackey.  "When I heard Ogs Si Bon coming, I knew with my mare that I just had to press on the gas-pedal and see what happened - - especially since she's better in the straightaway.  When she came off the turn and accelerated - - that was a good sign, but I couldn't say I was a winner yet."

Now in full gear off the soft 1:00.4 middle-half, the four year-old dug in under urging in the last eighth of a mile and refused to let a menacing Ogs Si Bon get past her throatlatch.

"She was doing as good as anybody there from the seven-eighths on and from that point I felt pretty good."

Owned by Cynthia Rios in partnership with trainer Bob Johnson, Persuade Me won ($3.20) by one-length in 1:58.  Ogs Si Bon was a nice second, and Elegant Emma (Luke Plano) finished with pace while a half of one-length farther back, in third.

"It was a real good effort and she does seem to like it when the track is a little off and tiring.  She tries hard that mare and obviously based off her form has been doing a heck of a nice job lately," finished Lackey, who, like trainer Bob Johnson, each recorded four wins respectively on the card. (Cal-Expo)