Jack Williams final headlines Friday night action

Overthemoonforyou, who has captured four of her five starts at this meet, looks to keep the momentum going in Friday night’s featured $16,000 Jack Williams Final for the pacing fillies and mares.

Watch and Wager LLC will present nine races with first post set for 6:45 p.m.

Since finishing third in the Funicello/Holt Final last month, Overthemoonforyou has rattled off three straight impressive victories for Qks Racing, trainer Quentin Schneider and pilot Aaron Lehman.

After sitting the pocket journey and rocketing home to account for a pair of conditioned events, the 4-year-old daughter of Karpathian Kid made 40 cents on the dollar look like a gift in last week’s Jack Williams Prep.

She two-moved to the top down the backside and took complete control of things from that point, reporting to the wire with two and a half-lengths to spare while establishing a new lifetime mark with the 1:55 2/5 clocking.

As the winner of the Williams Prep, the connections of Overthemoonforyou were able to pick their post position and she will do her work the No. 2 slot.

Set to line up against her are Cenalta Token, Maggie Time, Cenalta Memories, Senorita Draco, Karatop Mooss, Nonversation, What Cheer and Thrill Of The Hunt.

Looking ahead to Saturday night, the Joe Alto Memorial Pace for fillies and mares will headline the program with Graceful Horizon and Ain’t She Special figuring to get much of the attention.

An exclamation point for Semicolon

After knocking on the door in his first four appearances at this meet, Semicolon found a field to his liking last week and proved a punctual favorite with Mooney Svendsen doing the honors.

The son of Ararache Hanover carries the banner of Donald Laufenberg and is conditioned by veteran Bob Johnson.

“I bought him in Minnesota and thought he had some potential,” Johnson related after last Saturday’s coast-to-coast score.

“He’s a nice 4-year-old, very handy to race, and we’re hoping he progresses to be a decent horse. We’re looking at the next series that’s coming up, and even though it figures to be a tough field, I think he deserves the shot.”

Johnson also has the popular Allmyx’sliventexas occupying a stall at his barn and he always lights up when he talks about Wayne Knittel’s homebred pacer.

He comes into this week’s action sporting 65 wins from his 213 starts with $369,000 in his bank account and a 1:50 mark that was set at Hoosier Park.

“He’s doing just fine,” said his trainer, who sent him out on opening week to capture the Open Pace. “He’s not quite the horse he used to be, but that’s still not bad.”

Ragged But Right shows all his gears

Ragged But Right made it a hat trick last weekend, but the 1:56 3/5 final time doesn’t begin to tell the story.

Good harness horses like Ragged But Right, unlike their thoroughbred counterparts, have several gears and that was on full display in his most recent victory.

With Nick Roland handling the lines for the second straight time, the Nathalie Tremblay owned and trained performer was very hard used to the lead through a lively :27 3/5 opening quarter.

At that point, Roland was able to put on the brakes and use that front end to his best advantage. Ragged But Right hit the half in a much more comfortable :58 4/5 and got another breather in the third stanza while hitting that pole in 1:29 2/5.

Following that tepid 1:01 4/5 middle half, the classy 8-year-old shifted back into high gear for the stretch with a sparkling :27 1/5 final quarter that allowed him to hold safe by a desperate nostril over pocket-sitting Albergo Hanover.

This is yet another example of why we believe on average a driver is more important to the outcome of a harness race than a jockey is to a thoroughbred contest, and Roland did a masterful job with the Tremblay campaigner to make another trip to the charmed enclosure.

Joe Alto Memorial atop Saturday marquee

Graceful Horizon and Ain’t She Special, both going in sharp form at the moment, get the top billing in Saturday night’s $12,500 Joe Alto Memorial for pacing fillies and mares.

There will be nine races under the Watch and Wager LLC banner and first post is 6:35 p.m.

Graceful Horizon comes into this assignment off three straight big miles for Set The Pacing Racing LLC and driver/trainer Nick Roland.

The 7-year-old daughter of Vertical Horizon started that run with a near-miss to tonight’s foe Ain’t That Special in the December 28 Open and then got her revenge the following week with an easy victory at the head of the class.

Last week saw both Graceful Horizon and Ain’t She Special in an Open III event where they were facing six boys and one other distaffer and they missed by a nose and another nose, respectively, behind Dancin Lance in that mile.

Ain’t She Special is a 6-year-old daughter of American Ideal who goes about her business for Dave Haness and Luke Plano with Luke going the driving and training.The bay miss closed out last year with a game Open score and has been third in her last two outings, the most recent being a blanket finish.

Taking them on are Crazy Cute, Nebble Hanover, Wavzeka, Apple Juice and Starzznstripes.