By Mark Ratzky, publicity – Cal Expo
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 Friday night.
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 Kent’s 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 2/5 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 6-year-old son of Art Major has clicked in 17 of 73 starts
with a 1:49 4/5 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 3/5 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 3/5 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 Bertand 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 3/5 mark at Balmoral from nine years ago and has
over $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 Rick 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.
