Clash of the Cal Expo titans this Friday

Graceful Horizon (Vertical Horizon), who has captured five of her seven starts this year, and Kamara (Rockin Image), who has rattled off a hat trick at the head of the class, get top billing in Friday evening’s co-featured harness racing Distaff Open and Open Pace.

Watch and Wager LLC will present a 10-race program with first post set for 6:45 p.m.

Graceful Horizon is a owned by Set The Pace Racing LLC and is trained and driven by Nick Roland.

She has proven she can get the job done on the front end, which was the case in last week’s score, from a tracking position or from well off the pace in this season’s scores.

Kamara comes into the co-featured Open Pace in razor-sharp form for owner Gregory Gardner, trainer Darryl Cutting and pilot Jake Cutting and will once again have to do his work from the assigned outside post in the field of nine.

Looking ahead to Sunday’s action, a pair of $20,000 California Sire Stakes for the 4-year-old pacers and an Open Pace will highlight that program.

Cenalta Token, a punctual favorite in the first two stakes clashes this season for the mares leads the cast for that contest while Polar Storm and Bin A Mystery have accounted for the initial two big-money clashes for the males and get another chance to settle the score.

Editorial makes statement with recent mile

Editorial picked up his second win of the year last week, making what proved to be a winning brush to the lead down the backside with James Kennedy doing the honors.

The 6-year-old pacing son of Sportswriter carries the banner of Richard Morita and David Yamada and hails from the Jesse Pacheco shedrow.

“Dave and I purchased Editorial in November of 2022 when he was racing over the half-mile track at Northfield,” Morita informed.

“He seemed to finish well but was usually too far back. We thought he might improve on the mile track here at Cal Expo and the five-eighths course at Running Aces.”

Editorial recorded his lifetime mark of 1:53 2/5 here last year and was rewarding his backers at a nice 6-1 in his most recent trip to the charmed enclosure.

“He’s proved to be a pretty nice horse for us,” Richard added. “He doesn’t mind getting used hard and interestingly, has been pretty good on the front end. He’s been a nice addition to our barn.”

For complete race entries, click here.

by Mark Ratzky, for Cal Expo Harness