Sopmomore colts battle in CASS second round

With the three-year-old girls having been in the California Sire Stakes spotlight on Friday night, the boys took their turn as the headliners in the Saturday night $15,000 co-features at Cal-Expo, with Stars And Sites and Star Time Kid getting back on the winning track.

With the diagonally gaited specialists up first, driver Bruce Clarke took the lead with Stars And Sites from post six in the field of eight after just a sixteenth of a mile on their way to a first quarter, timed in :29.2.

Remaining on the lead in the second quarter, was Clarke surprised that the 1-2 favorite Meringue (Luke Plano) remained in the pocket?

"I was setting pretty good fractions for these trotters," said Clarke.  "I figured he'd stay in the pocket because why would you want to pull and race me when you can sit behind me and try to beat me in the final quarter."

Reaching the half-mile pole in 1:00, and arriving at the three-quarter mile station, timed in an un-pressured 1:30, Clarke just had to think back to two weeks earlier.

"Even with Meringue on my back off of a perfect trip, I was very confident at that point because when I last drove my trotter on April 26, Meringue sat on my back for a good portion of the race and couldn't get by me."

With the field just entering the stretch, Plano pulled his charge to the outside and went to work on him, but Clarke was sitting like a statue.

"My horse trotted strongly down the lane and especially strong when Meringue pulled off my back. I never took the whip off my shoulder, my horse was well in hand to the wire."

Owned by breeder Jack Coffey in partnership with Traci Camilli, Stars And Sites held firm in solid fashion to clearly win ($4.80) under wraps by 1-1/4-lengths, in 1:59, a lifetime mark. Meringue was easily second best, and The Natural (Tim Maier) finished 8-3/4-lengths way back in third.

"I'm pretty proud of my colt, plus he came out of it good.  My thanks goes out to Jack Coffey for breeding these type of horses for me, and my thanks also goes out to trainer Bobby Johnson for training the horse while I'm on the east-coast," finished Clarke.

With the pacers up next, Star Time Kid and driver Ed Hensley wasunhurried until the quarter-pole, as was everyone else, as the opening quarter was timed in a very slow :31.

"I just wanted to ease him around the first turn and let everyone settle, then go to the front," said Hensley.

Clearing to the point past the three-eighths mile pole, Star Time Kid reached the half-mile marker, timed in a very deliberate 1:01.2.

"It wasn't a fast pace, it was a friendly pace," laughed Hensley quoting one of his favorite announcers.  "I liked that half, plus he felt good."

Waltzing to the three-quarter mile station, timed in 1:31.1, Hensley obviously liked his chances.

"I got my own way in the third quarter, and I wanted to turn him on coming out of the turn, and that's what I did."

Into full gear entering the lane, there would be no catching of this gelding.

"He paced from the head of the lane home very strongly."

Bred and owned by Sheldon Perry and Alan Kirschenbaum, the Rick Plano-trained pupil won ($3.20) by 1 1/2 lengths in 1:58.2.  Themaninthewindow (Luke Plano) finished second, and Bronte Anas Boy (Lou Pena) was a nose farther back in third.

"Yes, we got to the three-quarters in 1:31.1, but I still thought he was very good," Hensley concluded. (Cal-Expo)

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