Cal Expo feature is a wide-open affair

Northbrook Ron (A Rocknroll Dance), who lost a heartbreaker in last week’s top harness racing dance, looms the one to beat in Friday night’s (Dec. 1) featured Open Pace at Cal Expo Harness.

Watch and Wager LLC will present nine races beginning at 6:45 p.m. with the main event scheduled as the seventh race.

The third race of the evening will honor the memory of owner/driver/trainer Hank MacDougall.

Northbrook Ron is a 7-year-old who is owned by Nathalie Tremblay and will once again have Luke Plano giving directions. He has captured 25 of his 144 starts and set his lifetime mark of 1:52 1/5 over this track earlier this year.

He will appreciate getting away from Mystery Dragon, who has beaten him in both his starts at this meet, including last week’s Open where he sat a pocket trip and just missed in a 1:55 1/5 mile.

Completing the field are Stening A, Maui, Alilthundadownunda, Trey Rockette, Major Offense, Hoo Nien and A Major Omen.

Reagan Blue Chip has sights on Will Meyers

Reagan Blue Chip (American Ideal) will attempt to keep his record perfect at this meet in Sunday’s Will Meyers Memorial Pace.

He was a 7-1 upset winner on opening night off a live cover trip, then proved a punctual even-money choice in one of last week’s two Meyers elimination heats in a game first-over trip with James Kennedy guiding.

Reagan Blue Chip is trained by Nathalie Tremblay, who co-owns the 6-year pacer with Dave Kuri.

“I bought him at the end of July,” Tremblay noted. “He was racing at Pocono and I thought he would be helped by racing over a mile course because he always seemed to be running out of racetrack at the wire.

“He raced three times at Running Aces and won once, and then we brought him out here with the Meyers being our first objective.

“I was a little surprised he won that first race, because there were some nice horses in that field and then he proved the best the other night.

“I think it really helped that James (Kennedy) got to know his quirks in that first start here.”

Nat pointed out that Regan Blue Chip was always cut out to be a good one, fetching 90K as a yearling and putting up a 1:51 mark at Woodbine three years ago.

by Mark Ratzky, for Cal Expo Harness