Graceful Horizon aiming for another Cal Expo score

Graceful Horizon (Vertical Horizon), fresh from victories in an Open and last week’s Joe Alto, looks to keep the momentum going in Sunday night’s (Jan. 21) featured $8,000 Filly and Mare Open harness racing pace.

Watch and Wager LLC will present nine races Sunday night with first post set for 4:55 p.m.

Graceful Horizon is going in razor-sharp form at the moment with those back-to-back scores, including the Joe Alto Free-For-All.

The mare races for Set The Pace Racing LLC with Nick Roland doing the driving and training.

Graceful Horizon rallied with cover to get the job done in the December 29 Open, then had a two-hole trip in the Alto behind favored Give Me This Dance and motored by when it counted for the handy decision in 1:53 3/5.

Give Me This Dance did all the heavy lifting in the Alto and was no match for the pocket-sitter when push came to shove. Luke Plano reins and trains the 5-year-old mare for Alan and Cheryl Sandbulte.

She has a pair of Open victories to her credit at this meet in November and December and her versatile racing style gives Plano early options.

Completing the field are River Lassena, What Cheer, Crazy Cute, Starzznstripes, Divine Art and Velocity McSweets.

Trotters, Pacers do battle in unique event

In an effort to put together interesting fields, Cal Expo has been carding some races known as a Double which feature trotters versus pacers.

The most recent such contest took place last Sunday with three trotters taking on five pacers and things went pretty much as the bettors predicted.

The favored pacer, Iconic Image at 4-5, showed the home way over the favored trotter, Tss Hot House as they combined for a popular exacta.

Looking at the standings going into this week’s action, Jake Cutting and Nick Roland are leading the driver and trainer races, respectively.

Cutting has returned to the charmed circle with 36 of his first 136 drives, giving him a 10-length lead over James Kennedy, who in turn has one more snapshot than Luke Plano.

Mooney Svendsen, Nick Roland and Gerry Longo are the others with double-digit scores.

Among the trainers, Roland has sent out 15 winners from his 95 representatives to give him a two-victory advantage over Longo and Plano.

by Mark Ratzky, for Cal Expo Harness