Unbeaten 3YO heads Californian Sire Stakes

Worthy Opponent, unbeaten in four starts and a dominating winner of the first big-money dance of the season for the division, heads the cast in Sunday night’s $10,000 California Sire Stakes at Cal Expo Harness for the 3-year-old harness racing pacing colts and geldings.

Watch and Wager LLC will present a 12-race card Sunday with things getting underway at 5 p.m. The co-feature is a $7,000 Filly and Mare Open Pace that finds Rockin With Lou eyeing her sixth straight win for owner/driver/trainer Gerry Longo.

Worthy Opponent is a homebred son of Hi Ho Silverheel’s from the Dragon Again mare Mistup Magic who carries the banner of Wayne and Rod Knittel, is conditioned by Bob Johnson and will once again have Mooney Svendsen at the controls.

After romping home in his first three starts, the bay performer was sent off at 1-5 in the first stakes dance for the sophomore males two weeks ago and made it look effortless.

He zipped right to the top for Svendsen, enjoyed a seven-length advantage turning for home and widened to nine lengths at the wire while lowering his mark to 1:56 4/5 in the process.

Lining up against him this weekend are Cenalta Hawk with Cordarious Stewart; Night King, Nick Roland, Ihopeurhappynow with James Kennedy; Bollinger, Ryan Grundy and Time For T with Luke Plano.

Meanwhile, Rockin With Lou puts her winning streak on the line in the Distaff Open, which goes two races after the Sire Stakes in the seventh-race slot. Longo’s mare has been a tigress at the head of the class this year and looms large no matter how things shake out early.

Avaya Hanover sets sights on bigger game

Despite having been away from the wars since early November at Harrah’s Philly, the 5-year-old pacing mare Avaya Hanover was ready to rock and roll last weekend and posted a solid conditioned victory with Mooney Svendsen at the controls.

The Bay daughter of Western Ideal, who is owned by Barbara Arnstine, Steve Chambers and trainer Kathie Plested, made a strong brush at the half to take command and showed the way home by a length in the impressive Cal Expo introduction.

“She had the two qualifiers because we had some trouble getting the rigging just right, as we were basically starting from scratch when she got here with very little info,” Svendsen explained.

“She has definitely been a work in progress, but the one thing we knew for sure was that she could fly, and it was just a matter of getting things under control.”

With her victory last week, Avaya Hanover will have now have to take on the big girls, including the streaking Rockin With Lou, the Filly and Mare Open.

“I’m anxious to see how she does with that group,” Mooney said. “We know she’s got the ability, and that will be a good test.”

By Mark Ratzky, for Cal Expo Harness