By Mark Ratzky, publicity – Cal Expo Harness
The $7,500 Joe Lighthill Trot
headed by Talkin Tootsie; an Open Pace featuring Firedrake and a filly and mare
Open Pace highlighted by Capitol Hill share the spotlight at Cal Expo Friday
evening.
Friday’s Joe Lighthill
Memorial Trot is named for the outstanding driver/trainer who was a mainstay in
California for decades and passed away at the age of 78 in 2006.
Mr. Lighthill, who began his
career in the mid 1940s, drove 2,272 winners for purse earnings just shy of $7
million and reined and/or trained some of the most outstanding performers of
their generation.
Included in that illustrious
group were Meadow Skipper, Countess Adios, Tender Loving Care, Hickory Pride,
Peter Lobell, Try Scotch and BC Count.
"Joe was the consummate
horseman and a good friend," said Vickie Desomer, who will send out
Silverlode in Friday night’s headliner with husband Steve in the sulky.
"Time and time again
Steve and I relied on him to get our young green horses safely around the track
and he always did just that. He was truly one of the greats, not just in
California, but across the nation."
A field of eight will line-up
for the Joe Lighthill Trot with Talkin Tootsie likely to attract plenty of
attention for owners Martin Gary and Hank Wieseneck, trainer Bob Johnson and
pilot Mooney Svendsen. He won an Open II contest two back and was runner-up to
the streaking Pridecrest at most recent asking..
A Cenalta double for
Gordon Empey
Trainer Gordon Empey sent out
a pair of pacers on last Friday night’s card here and ended up scoring with
both as Cenalta Eclipse and Cenalta Artistry got the job done.
Cenalta Eclipse had Steve
Wiseman at the controls with the 4-year-old gelding prevailing handily in his
conditioned affair, while Cenalta Artistry returned a healthy $26 proving
clearly best toward the end of the same program with Rene Goulet guiding the
mare.
This is Empey’s second foray
to Cal Expo from Canada, having such a good time last season that he has
returned with another string of performers while enjoying the warmer Sacramento
climate.
A 71-year-old native of
Alberta, Gordon only came to harness racing about 16 years ago and has now
developed a love of the sport on all fronts.
“I’d been to the races with
my uncle when I was in my 20’s, but just as a fan,” he explained. “I guess I
was about 55 when I was re-introduced to the game by some friends, then that
led to buying some broodmares and going on from there.”
At first, Empey continued to
do farming while breeding harness horses on the side, but it really got into
his blood. “It was eight or nine years ago that we started racing more and more
of them, and then two years ago I took out my trainer’s license.”
Its nights like last Friday
that make it all worthwhile.
