Just Plum Lucky certainly finished up 2011 in style for owners Rick and Marlene Thomas and trainer George Reider. She landed in the Cal-Expo winner’s circle following four of her last five trips to the post.

While the daughter of Power Of Art is a homebred, she was actually red-tagged last year and then re-claimed by Reider and 'Team Thomas' two months ago.

“'Plum' was actually the first horse Rick and Marlene bred and I broke her as a yearling,” Reider related. “There are certainly some sentimental feelings there. After she was claimed from us, I told them to sit tight and if she ever goes in a $2,500 race, we’ll take her back. When she turned up for that price in November, we reached back in for her.”

The move has certainly paid off.

Just Plum Lucky won her first try back in the Reider barn, yet had a troubled trip her next time out. After that, she went out and rattled off three wins in a row. The dark-hued mare romped home by six lengths in her last race.

“She is a hard horse to read and maybe some of my personality rubbed off on her," Reider said, jokingly. “I know that she’s definitely happy to be home.”

The conditioner is especially pleased to see things going well for his clients.

“Rick and Marlene put so much time and money into our industry and I’m happy this is working out for them. We have a three-year-old brother to 'Plum' and we need him to have some of her speed, and then there’s another brother I’ll be breaking in a few months."

(With files from Cal-Expo)