A $7,000 Open Pace matching Its Pointless and A Major Omen and a $6,500 Distaff Open Pace headed by Rockin With Lou share the spotlight at Cal Expo this Friday night (Jan. 21).
There will be 10 races presented by Watch and Wager LLC and the action gets underway at 6:45 p.m.
Its Pointless will be gunning for his third straight victory in the Open Pace for the team of owner Mark Anderson, trainer Gordie Graham and pilot James Kennedy. The Kents On Nuke homebred comes into this assignment having won 16 of his 25 trips to the post.
After missing by narrow margins to A Major Omen in the Dave Goldschmidt and an Open, Its Pointless has posted an Open II score and then got some revenge on his arch-rival last week as he flew home in :26.2 to prevail by a neck over that pacesetter.
A Major Omen has been outstanding at this meet for owner/driver/trainer Gerry Longo since arriving from Kentucky. The six-year-old son of Art Major has clicked in 17 of 73 starts with a 1:49.4 mark set two years ago at the Meadowlands and is closing in on the $200,000 earnings plateau.
A Major Omen began the meet with three straight scores, including a game decision in the aforementioned Goldschmidt and then added a pair of Open victories. In last week’s clash at the head of the class, he set all the pace and was just collared by Its Pointless in that 1:52.3 mile.
Meanwhile, Rockin With Lou looms large for owner/driver/trainer Longo in the co-feature as she looks to take down her third straight at the top rung. The daughter of Sweet Lou established a new career standard when she toured the oval in 1:52.3 two weeks ago.
Tink And Tiger Refuses To Act His Age
Tink And Tiger apparently plans to make his final year of racing count, as the 14-year-old pacer comes into this week’s action having posed for pictures following three of his last four starts.
Rick Bertrand owns and trains the son of Art Major with Nick Roland in the bike for each of those victories, the most recent coming despite the fact that Tink And Tiger was parked the mile and forced three-wide around poor cover on the final bend.
It didn’t matter, as he took aim on the leaders at the top of the stretch and went on to a two-length victory as the 3-5 choice. It was the 41st win from 330 starts for this warrior, who set his 1:49.3 mark at Balmoral from nine years ago and has more than $330,000 earnings.
“I bought him last year,” Bertrand related after last Friday night’s score. “He wasn’t racing well and the plan was to sell him to a friend of mine in Minnesota, Amy Remick, as a retired Standardbred.”
Apparently Tink and Tiger had other ideas and convinced Bertrand to put him back in the game.
“He came around this summer and started racing a lot better, so we prolonged his retirement.
“I think he decided he wanted to race another year and then do the mandatory retirement thing. He’s a perfect horse at the barn and I think he likes to be around the younger ones in the turnout pen because it makes him feel young again.”
It appears as though winning races is another thing that isn’t getting old for this guy.
(With files from Cal Expo)