Sacramento, CA --- There were two feature races at Cal-Expo Wednesday, February 7th.

First up was the Cal-Bred Open Pace with a purse of $8,000 and six sidewheelers answered the bell. Leading Choice and Rick Plano left quickest and he got to the pylons quickly, but Middy and Rocky Stidham were powering up the outside intent on gaining the top and Mels Best was following him.

Just before the :27² first quarter first Middy and then Mels Best got to the pylons. Once straightened out on the backstretch Plano sent Leading Choice out to regain the front end and he got to the top just before the :57 half.

Just before the 1:26³ three-quarters Middy came first over and the drive to the wire was on. Rick Kuebler and The Jellos Jigglin followed the cover of Middy and then tipped outside and the three of them came strongly to the wire as a team. Middy prevailed by a neck over Leading Choice in 1:54², and The Jellos Jigglin had to settle for the Show dough.

This was a new life mark for Middy. He is owned by Stidham’s wife Rhonda and Cary Raffety and is trained by Rocky. He is a seven-year-old gelding by Ahab Hanover out of the Conejo Chief mare Navy Cheer.

The last feature was a California Gold Series trot for four-year-old horses and geldings for a purse of $25,290. Six geldings and two stallions showed up for the contest. To no ones surprise Gilbert Herrera gunned JJ Wonder out of the gate and he cut the first three fractions: :28², :59⁴, and 1:29⁴. Sacramento King sat in the garden but had nothing in the stretch. Nicol Tremblay got away seventh with KD Justice but worked his way up to third by passing gappers. He then came first over just before the three-quarters and in a stretch-long drive wore down JJ Wonder for the win in 1:59⁴. Makena’s Brother and Tim Maier followed KD Justice but had to settle for the Show dough.