The $10,000 Joe Lighthill Free-for-All Trot headlines Friday night’s Cal Expo card with Its A Horse and Scramble Camp among the major players. Watch and Wager LLC will present 12 races with first post set for 6:10 p.m.
The Joe Lighthill Trot is named for the outstanding driver/trainer who was a mainstay in California for decades and passed away at the age of 78 in 2006.
Lighthill, who began his career in the mid-1940s, drove 2,272 winners for purse earnings just shy of $7 million and reined and/or trained some of the most outstanding performers of their generation. Included in that illustrious group were Meadow Skipper, Countess Adios, Tender Loving Care, Hickory Pride, Peter Lobell, Try Scotch and BC Count.
Its A Horse is a 6-year-old son of Full Count who is owned by Ray Alan Miller, trained by Marco Rios and will be guided by Dean Magee. The long-fused trotter stormed from well back to get the job done on November 23 while registering his 15th victory from 77 career outings.
Scramble Camp accounted for his Cal Expo debut last month in a coast-to-coast performance for owner Jeralene Roland and driver/trainer Nick Roland. The Iowa-bred sidewheeler was a 1:54 4/5 winner earlier this year at Hawthorne.
Taking on this pair, from the rail out: Majestic Lady Jo, Flameon, Kristy’sgingergal, Windsun Galaxe, Pridecrest and Mandeville.
Looking ahead to Saturday’s program, the rescheduled Dave Goldschmidt Free-for-All Pace headed by Allmyx’sliventexas and the Robert Staats for pacing fillies and mares featuring Rue Hanover will be in the spotlight.