$50,000 Championships bring down the curtain on Friday night

A pair of $50,000 Championship events for the 4-year-old pacers will highlight Friday’s closing-night program at Cal Expo.


Watch and Wager will present 13 races with first post set for 6 p.m. and there will be mandatory payouts in all wagers.


Looking at the Championship contest for the 4-year-old distaffers,Gotubytheshorthairs and Made Of Mischief finished one-two in the most recent stakes with only a nose separating them.
Gotubytheshorthairs was on the right end of that photo for owner/breeder Mark Anderson, trainer Gordie Graham and pilot James Kennedy.


A multiple stakes victress last year in Minnesoata while winning 9 of her 15 starts, the bay miss finished a solid second off a long layoff in the March 24 Sire Stakes and then came back three weeks ago to edge out Made Of Mischief for her first local trophy.


The daughter of Wind Me Up is out of the Mach Three mare Bearded Lady and looms large no matter how things shake out early.


Made Of Mischief accounted for the March 24 Sire Stakes clash and then lost a heartbreaker to Gotubytheshorthairs in that last April 12 big-money match-up.
The dark-hued daughter of Vlos is owned and was bred by Lanae Hernandez, takes her lessons from Bob Johnson and will once again have the services of Luke Plano.

Completing the field are Hot N Fancy, who will have Vod Farias guiding; Wild Blue Wonder with Nick Roland; Stevies Girl, who has the services of Mooney Svendsen and Cenalta Token, who leaves from the outside slot with Jake Cutting.


Polar Storm and Bin A Mystery put on quite a show in the most recent Sire Stakes for the 4-year-old males and get a rematch in the other $50,000 event.


Polar Storm is a homebred son of Wind Me Up who competes for Alan and Cheryl Sandbulte with Nick Roland driving and training.


He did the perfect track-and-attack to prevail by a head over Bin A Mystery in that last gathering for this group and it was the 17th win from 57 career trips to the post and put him at the $147,000 mark in earnings with a 1:53 mark that was set here in February.


Bin A Mystery was a bit unlucky when shuffled in that last stakes match-up and came up a neck short for owner Mark Anderson and driver/trainer James Kennedy.


He was very strong winning the previous two Sire Stakes and will be looking for revenge. Taking them on are Lilbabyblue with Brett Erickson and Dougsmonkeybusiness with Jake Cutting doing the honors.

Cutting, Plano earn driver, trainer crowns

Congratulations go out to Jake Cutting and Luke Plano, the leading driver and trainer, respectively, at the Cal Expo meet that ends this week with a Friday program.

Jake Cutting is celebrating his first driving crown, while Luke Plano has won several titles in the sulky but is making his first appearance at the top of the trainer standings in Sacramento.

Jake Cutting is a 23-year-old who scored the first win of his career in 2020 up in Canada. He got off to a fast start at this meet and never looked back, holding a 14-length advantage going into the final card.

“I came into this meet with a lot of confidence, but I can’t say I had any expectations,” Jake related. “My dad (Darryl) had some real nice horses and I want to thank all the trainers that gave me an opportunity.”

One of the highlights for Cutting was the pacer Kamara, who captured three straight Opens to establish himself as one of the top performers at this stand.

Luke Plano has won countless driving titles here at Cal Expo, but in the last few years has put more emphasis on his own barn and has had an outstanding meet with his trainees.

“In the past I would have less than 10 horses of my own here, but this year I had between 15 and 20 and along with my owners, we tried to come up with a nice balance.”

“It was gratifying that so many did so well. Ain’t She Special was particularly satisfying because early in the meet she had some issues that we had to straighten out, but after that she was super, and we were very proud of that 1:51 and change victory in the Open in March “Handsome Harvey, Jack Rabbit Slims and Bombay Hanover also raced strong here, and I was very happy with the development of Powderhouse and Hunky Dory, who were both non-winners of one when the meet star