Dropping from Open starts facing the top performers on the grounds at Cal Expo, pacer Heavens Gona Rock and trotter Body Armor will look to score in their co-featured conditioned classes on Friday night.
There will be nine races decided under the Watch and Wager LLC banner with first post set for 6:55 p.m.
Heavens Gona Rock is a five-year-old son of Pet Rock who is condtioned by Darryl Cutting and is owned and driven by Jake Cutting.
He was a solid winner in a conditioned affair to close out his 2023 campaign here, fanning wide off cover to the drive and coming home with a length and a quarter to spare over a sloppy track that Dec. 29 evening.
Heavens Gona Rock has made his last two appearances in the Open, finishing a fast-closing third behind A Major Omen two weeks ago and then filling out the show spot in last week’s top dance behind Major Offense after having some trouble in the stretch.
No matter how things shake out early in Friday’s contest, this Cutting performer appears to be a top contender in the evening's fourth race. He is listed as 4-1 odds on the morning line from the outside post seven behind insiders Allmyxsliventexas, at 3-1, and Rocks Image, the 2-1 early favourite.
Body Armor is, likewise, dropping out of the Open ranks for owner/driver/trainer Gerry Longo and looks well spotted for a victory in the trotting co-feature, which will kick off the card.
Allmyxsliventexas adds to the scrapbook
Allmyxsliventexas may have lost a step at age 11, but he still knows how to find the winner’s circle and proved it last week with main man Mooney Svendsen in the sulky.
The son of Hi Ho Silverheel’s is owned by Wayne Knittel, was bred by Knittel and his late brother Rod, with veteran Bob Johnson conditioning.
With a ton of Sire Stakes trophies on his mantle, Allmyxsliventexas has now posed for pictures following 62 of his 197 starts with more than $335,000 in his account and a 1:50 mark that was established over a sloppy track at Hoosier Park six years ago.
In last week’s conditioned score, the popular performer tracked the pace to the half, was out and moving first-over to engage the leader and showed his class in the stretch to prevail by a half-length in a 1:53.4 tour.
“I’ve been fortunate to have some nice horses over the years, and Allmyxsliventexas ranks right up at the top,” Johnson related after last week’s victory. “For a California-bred, he’s one tough dude.”
Johnson noted he’s normal around the barn, except for one habit that has him constantly on his toes.
“He likes to kick at me when I walk behind him,” he said with a laugh.
With his impressive lifetime batting average, quite a few Standardbreds can say the same about this pacer.
(With files from Cal Expo)