A $20,000 USD California Sire Stakes for the four-year-old male pacers, a Filly and Mare Open Pace and an Open Trot share the spotlight on Friday night (Feb. 2) at Cal Expo.
There will be 10 races presented by Watch and Wager LLC with first post set for 6:45 p.m.
The first Sire Stakes of the year is headlined by sophomore champ Polar Storm (post two), trained and driven by Nick Roland for breeders Alan and Cheryl Sandbulte, and favoured Dougsmonkeybusines (post three), with Jacob Cutting getting the call for trainer Rick Bertrand and co-breeder Douglas Flores. The four-horse field also includes Dardick Vic with the inside draw and Bin A Mystery outside.
Looking at the $8,000 USD distaff Open, Graceful Horizon gets top billing while leaving from the assigned outside post. Graceful Horizon is a six-year-old daughter of Vertical Horizon who races for Set The Pace Racing LLC and is reined and trained by Nick Roland. Graceful Horizon has been on a tear here since late December, using her powerful late kick to dominate the top distaff pacers on the grounds. She flew home to capture the Dec. 29 Open, sat a gorgeous pocket trip in the Joe Alto win going away and then came from double-digits back to get the job done at even-money in the most recent clash at the head of this class two weeks ago.
Joe Lighthill hero Pridecrest heads the cast for the $8,250 USD Open Trot. He is a 12-year-old son of Angus Hall who is owned by Chris Schick, takes his lessons from Kathie Plested and will once again be handled by Mooney Svendsen. He comes into this assignment with 58 wins from his 237 lifetime trips to the post with more than $535,000 in his bank account and his 1:53.2 mark over this layout is the track record. He was an impressive first-over winner of last week’s Lighthill.
Bold New Beginning sizes up competition
Bold New Beginning was a game victress here last Sunday night, ending up on the right end of a photo with another pacing mare who likes to win races in Senga Nightmare. The pair will renew their rivalry in Friday's fourth race, a $5,400 USD fillies and mares conditioned pace.
Bold New Beginning is a daughter of JK Endofanera out of the Real Desire mare, Emily Flora, and is owned and was bred by Billie Schwartz and Jim Wilkinson, with Wilkinson doing the training and leading pilot Jake Cutting doing the honours.
Her victory last weekend was her 10th from 34 lifetime trips to the post, with her 1:54 mark coming last season at Hoosier Park.
“She’s the fourth generation from a foundation mare named Toni Ann that Billie and I brought over from New Zealand,” noted Wilkinson. “She’s a full sister to A Real Miracle, who earned quite a few stakes trophies and [almost] $600,000 for us.
“Bold New Beginning is a big mare and it took her some time to get to the races, but she’s gone some big miles.”
Wilkinson related that he has been owning and training horses with Billie Schwartz for over 30 years and they have won 17 stakes races during that time.
“Billie Schwartz is as big a supporter of California racing as we have,” praised Wilkinson.
(With files from Cal Expo)