Dancin Lance and Major Attribute, who both have wins at the head of the class at the current Cal Expo meet, figure to get much of the attention in Friday night’s featured Open Pace.
Watch and Wager LLC has carded 11 races on Friday evening with first post set for 6:20 p.m.
Dancin Lance was an extremely impressive winner of the Jan. 12 Open after falling far back due to an early break but had to settle for fourth in last week’s contest at 70 cents on the dollar. Leon Smith trains the Juan Pacheco-owned gelding and James Kennedy will once again handle the lines from the outside post in the field of six. Dancin Lance has just shy of $135,000 in his bank account and a 1:50.3 mark that was set last year at Hoosier Park.
Major Attribute accounted for the Open on Dec. 18 while coming from well back with a :27 flat final quarter. He has a third and a sixth-place finish in the interim. Major Attribute is one of two Luke Plano trainees in the cast and will have Brad Irvine in the sulky, while Plano will handle Bombay Hanover.
Northbrook Ron upset this group at 32-1 last week, but is not in Friday’s cast with Ragged But Right representing the Nathalie Tremblay barn here on the step up in class with Chip Lackey guding.
Completing the field are the hard-hitting A Major Omen for Gerry Longo and last week’s pacesetter Keystone Tenacious.
Divine Art hoping for a 'Sweet Sixteen' party
While there were a few anxious moments, O'Brien Award finalist Divine Art delivered when it counted to record her 15th straight victory at Cal Expo last weekend.
The four-year-old pacing mare arrived on the scene from Canada late last year with an even dozen in a row on her resume and has added another trio for her new owner/driver/trainer Gerry Longo.
Sent off at 50 cents on the dollar while stepping up to the Open ranks for her most recent tour, Divine Art left smartly to the lead from her rail slot but was overtaken by Marys Pretty Girl at the half and looked to be in a tough spot behind that tiring rival early in the stretch. When room developed along the rail, however, Divine Art kicked had a :27.2 final quarter for Longo and took the measure of her hard-hitting stablemate Rockin With Lou for the 1:57.1 score by three-quarters of a length.
Longo, who is still going strong at age 77, related that he likes to watch the races up in Canada and happened to be looking for a three or four-year-old pacing filly to round out his barn for this meet when he saw Divine Art doing her thing up at Century Downs.
The bay miss has certainly taken to her new surroundings and will get this week off, with her mentor eyeing the upcoming Sire Stakes to hopefully add to her nearly $320,000+ bank account.
(With files from Cal Expo)