Author: by Mark Ratzky, Cal Expo Harness Publicity

Two $50,000 Sire Stakes Championship events for the 4-year-old pacers and mandatory payouts get the marquee treatment on Sunday evening’s (April 20) closing night program at Cal Expo.

On a perfectly dreadful morning with temperatures in the high 40s with rain but little wind, the qualifiers got a 9 a.m. early start at The Meadowlands. The track was listed as “sloppy.”

Driver Aaron Hall drove three winners on the Friday program at Cumberland, but the day must have seemed a lot like a roller coaster ride from start to finish.

With fall-like, 50-degree temperature at the start of the first race on the card, which later turned into rain and a good track, the MADC club had three pacing races scheduled at The Meadowlands Friday night.

Justin Irvine gave Princess Rougarou a heads-up drive as she doubled up in the Northville Downs’ featured $10,800 Mares Open Pace Friday night (April 28).

Trainer Nancy Takter has been on fire since the first of her students hit the mile oval at The Meadowlands on March 31, with nine winners from just 21 starts at the start of racing Friday night (April 29).

Favorite YS Lotus made it a clean sweep in the Jumpstart Series for horses with a Trackmaster Rating of 73 or less at Buffalo Raceway on Friday afternoon by winning the $25,000 finale.

The pacing powerhouse Ruthless Hanover came within a fifth of a second of the oldest track record on the books at Harrah’s Philadelphia, winning the $20,000 Open handicap pace for males on Friday afternoon (April 21) in 1:48.3.

Driver Montrell Teague won six races, five for trainer Chuck Crissman Jr. on Monday at Harrington Raceway.