Northbrook Ron, who lost a heartbreaker in last week’s top dance, looms the one to beat in Friday night’s featured Open Pace at Cal Expo.

Watch and Wager LLC will present nine races beginning at 6:45 p.m. with the main event scheduled as the seventh race.

The third race of the evening will honor the memory of owner/driver/trainer Hank MacDougall.

Northbrook Ron is a 7-year-old son of A Rocknroll Dance who is owned by Nathalie Tremblay and will once again have Luke Plano giving directions. He has captured 25 of his 144 starts and set his lifetime mark of 1:52 1/5 over this track earlier this year.

He will appreciate getting away from Mystery Dragon, who has beaten him in both his starts at this meet, including last week’s Open where he sat a pocket trip and just missed in a 1:55 1/5 mile.

Completing the field are Stening A, Maui, Alilthundadownunda, Trey Rockette, Major Offense, Hoo Nien and A Major Omen.

Reagan Blue Chip and Bunkerhill Phil, both punctual winning favorites in last week’s elimination heats, head the cast for Sunday night’s $16,200 Will Meyers Memorial Pace at Cal Expo.

There will be nine races decided under the Watch and Wager LLC banner with first post set for 4:55 p.m.

Reagan Blue Chip will be shooting for his third straight wins in as many starts at the meet for trainer Nathalie Tremblay, who also co-owns the pacer along with Dave Kuri, and James Kennedy will once again be at the controls.

The 6-year-old son of American Ideal scored a 7-1 upset on opening night off a live cover journey, then was a very game first-over victor in his elimination heat last week.

Reagan Blue Chip will be eyeing his 14th snapshot from 87 starts with $148,000 in his account and a 1:51 mark that was established three years ago.

Bunkerhill Phil was the 6-5 choice in his heat and after being parked to the lead by the quarter took complete control of the race to prevail by two and a quarter lengths for his owner/driver/trainer Gerry Longo.

He has prevailed in 27 of his 106 trips to the post with $207,000 in earnings and a 1:52 4/5 mark that was established earlier this year at Running Aces.

Completing the field are Impressive Art, Bunkerhill Bill, Bettor’s Promise, Rocknscience, Miki’s Magic Ride,Cenelta Firedragon, He Grins Again and Frewil Dakota Sven.

Reagan Blue Chip will attempt to keep his record perfect at this meet in Sunday’s Will Meyers Memorial Pace.

The son of American Ideal was a 7-1 upset winner on opening night off a live cover trip, then proved a punctual even-money choice in one of last week’s two Meyers elimination heats in a game first-over trip with James Kennedy guding.

Reagan Blue Chip is trained by Nathalie Tremblay, who co-owns the 6-year pacer with Dave Kuri.

“I bought him at the end of July,” Tremblay noted. “He was racing at Pocono and I thought he would be helped by racing over a mile course because he always seemed to be running out of racetrack at the wire.

“He raced three times at Running Aces and won once, and then we brought him out here with the Meyers being our first objective.

“I was a little surprised he won that first race, because there were some nice horses in that field and then he proved the best the other night.

“I think it really helped that James (Kennedy) got to know his quirks in that first start here.”

Nat pointed out that Regan Blue Chip was always cut out to be a good one, fetching 90K as a yearling and putting up a 1:51 mark at Woodbine three years ago.

Sunday’s feature is named for Will Meyers, a steward in California for 40 years including here at Cal Expo, who passed away this year at the age of 69 of pulmonary fibrosis.
Prior to becoming a steward in 1984, Meyers worked as a racing official at such tracks as Del Mar and Fresno.
“He had a great passion for the fairs,” said fellow steward Grant Baker in a Daily Racing Form article. “He was a good listener and a wealth of knowledge from his years. He had vast experience being in so many situations.”
“He was all about fairness,” steward Luis Jauregui said. “For horsemen and everything, he wanted to apply the rules. He had a horsemen’s background.”
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A reminder there is a reduced 16 percent takeout on the 20-cent Pick 5 and the 20-cent Pick 4, while there is a new 20-cent Pick 7 now being offered for the first time that begins on the third race Sunday.
That contest will be the co-featured $7,500 Filly and Mare Open Pace with the last two Open winners Give Me This Dance and Lucky assigned the outside two posts.