Its A Horse is having a solid meet for owner Ray Alan Miller, trainer Marco Rios and regular pilot Gerry Longo, which includes three-straight wins in the Open Trot to start off the year.
The six-year-old was purchased late last season by Miller and sent to Rios, who has managed to get the trotter to settle early and save his best for last with Longo in the sulky.
“Mr. Harris sent him to me at the start of the meet and my first impression was that he was a very nice horse,” Rios said. “He does everything right in the morning and has that real nice late kick in his races.”
Marco watched some of Its A Horse’s races at Northfield Park to get acquainted with the performer prior to his first California start and noted that his best efforts seemed to come when he was allowed to relax early and then come home in a hurry.
“That’s what we’ve been working on with him in his training and Gerry has been doing a great job getting him to relax early in his races and finish strongly," Rios said. “Of course, when you have a style like that sometimes the way the race shapes up is going work against you, but there is nothing you can do about that.”
Rios knows a thing or two about training a top trotter. He conditioned the outstanding sidewheeler El Azteca.
“He’s still at the top of my list, but Its A Horse is getting there quickly,” he said.
Silverlode has top billing in Open Trot
Silverlode, fresh from back-to-back victories at the head of the class, looks to keep the momentum going in the featured $6,500 Open Trot Saturday, March 16. Watch and Wager LLC will present 11 races with things getting underway at 6:10 p.m. and the main event scheduled as the fifth contest on the evening.
As a result of her recent wins, Silverlode will race from her assigned post, post-position 10, in the field of six with Steve Wiseman at the controls.
Silverlode competes for owners Medinah Racing and Kathie Plested with Plested doing the training. She set a new North American record on a mile track two back in the Joe Lighthill Trot when she covered a mile and a half in 2:57.2.
Sent off the even-money choice in the most recent top dance for the trotting set two weeks ago, Silverlode made what proved to be the winning move at the half and romped home by five and three-quarter lengths over a track labelled good.
Taking her on this weekend, from the rail out, are: Majestic Lady Jo with Nate Sobey; Franks Best, Mooney Svendsen; One Chief with Luke Plano; Windsun Galaxe, Dean Magee; and Its A Horse, who will have the services of Gerry Longo.
Bettor Lady should have a big say in the co-featured Open II Distaff Pace with James Kennedy guiding. She has turned in four-straight strong miles here for owners Richard Morita and David Yamada and trainer Lino Pacheco. She got up in the final strides to hang a nose decision on Capitol Hill in the Feb. 23 Open, then has completed the exacta in the last two meetings at the top rung.
(with files from Cal-Expo)