A $6,500 Filly and Mare Open Pace headed by Shesureissomething and a $6,500 Open II Pace featuring Its Pointless and A Major Omen share the spotlight Friday night at Cal Expo.
A 10-race Watch and Wager LLC card is on tap with first post set for 6:45 p.m.
Shesureissomething comes into the Distaff Open eyeing a hat trick for owners Alan and Cheryl Sandbulte, trainer Rick Bertrand and pilot Cordarius Stewart, with the most recent score coming in the Open two weeks ago. Sent off the 3-1 second choice in that affair, Shesureissomething left right to the top for Stewart, took complete control of things from that point and came home with a length and a quarter to spare that evening.
Rockin With Lou started the season with six straight victories for owner/driver/trainer Gerry Longo and will represent the barn along with Kiss On The Lips. Uniquerock, Rover Lassena, Avaya Hanover and River Lassena round out the field.
The Open II Pace will also bring out a pair of Longo trainees in A Major Omen and Hoo Nein and they will take on a solid cast including Its Pointless, who has gone some huge races at this meet for owner Mark Anderson and trainer Gordie Graham. A Major Omen lost a heartbreaker last week to the razor-sharp Dancin Lance after carving out all the fractions, while Its Pointless is coming off a victory in the Don Fowler Memorial two weeks ago.
A reminder there are three wagers offered at Cal Expo each night that come with a reduced 16 per cent takeout rate. They are the 20-cent early and late Pick 5 and the 20-cent Pick 4, with the latter featuring a $30,000 guaranteed gross pool on Fridays and a $30,000 guarantee on Sundays.
Last Friday, the Pick 4 returned $387 for each correct 20-cent ticket, despite the sequence starting with a very possible single in 6-5 winner in Alilthundadownunda. There were two second-choice victors in the sequence with the real firepower coming when Impressive Art posted his upset in the second of the Distance Derby elimination heats.
Looking ahead to Sunday’s program, the $10,000 Stan Bergstein Trot and the $10,000 Distance Derby will headline the evening.
Track record holder Pridecrest is fresh from a smashing Open win last week and gets top billing in the Bergstein while taking on a field that includes arch-rival and Gary Budahn winner Mandeville.
Meanwhile, last week’s elimination heat victors Marlons Magic and Impressive Art will square off in the Dstance Derby, which is decided over a demanding mile and a half and should prove quite a contentious affair.
(With files from Cal Expo)