After finishing second in the first two legs of the Peter Lobell behind Fakeutu Bluegrass, including a nose setback last week, Steve Hyman will attempt to reverse the trend with Vic The Brick in Friday’s series finale at Cal Expo

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Actually, Hyman is just happy to be here with the five-year-old son of Hi Ho Silverheels, who was going through a so-so 2010 before catching fire in December and posting a hat trick. On each of those occasions, he did the track-and-attack to perfection, prevailing over fast, good and sloppy tracks in the process.

This led into the new year and the Peter Lobell, where Vic The Brick carved out all the fractions in the opening leg before yielding by a length to Fakeutu Bluegrass, then played the role of stalker last week and was part of a three-way blanket finish.

“Do I think we can win this time? Absolutely,” Hyman responded when asked about Friday’s feature. “To be honest, I was disappointed in that first leg, because we got to the half in a minute and he was just cruising, but Tim’s mare went right by us at the end.

“He raced much better last week. He’s a big, lugging type of pacer, and Fakeutu Bluegrass and Art Of Arts were able to sprint away from him a little bit in the stretch, but he was coming real strong at the wire.”

Hyman is happy with the way the pacer is going about his daily rounds in the interim, and doesn’t feel drawing the No. 2 post in the compact cast will make much of a difference either way. “I can tell you, he’s feeling like a million, or at least $7,025, which is the purse of this race,” he joked.

Hi Ho Steverino, who closed out last year with a win, will try to make it three-for-three in 2011 when he suits up in the opener for owner-breeder Rod Knittel and Rick Plano. The multiple stakes winner has left little doubt in his recent victories, including a four and a half-length romp last week.

(Cal Expo)