Sacramento, CA — The hard-hitting 12-year-old trotter Franky Provolone is making his final start in Friday night’s (Jan. 18) fourth race at Cal Expo and it’s sure to be a bittersweet experience for his owner/trainer Robin Clements.

“Franky has been a fan favorite here at Cal Expo and Running Aces for many years, but he’s starting to tell me that it’s time to retire,” Robin noted at entry time.

“After this last race he’ll be sent to a friend of mine, Janet Scott, and her two kids, Carol and Cody, in Wilton, where he will retire with another Standardbred named Continental for company.

“Franky has been good to me and he owes me nothing. It’s my position that he deserves to be retired to a home where he will be safe and forever loved.”

For the record, Franky Provolone comes into this weekend’s assignment with 297 starts on his card, sporting 53 wins, 68 seconds and 62 thirds, with $252,302 in his bank account and a 1:55.4 mark that was established five years ago.

By Armbro Scribe out of the Donerail mare Simply Royal, he was bred on the Desomer Farm in Wilton and was originally owned and raced by Rick Plano.

“I acquired Franky at the age of five in April of 2012 out of a claimer for $3,750,” Clements said. “I raced him one more time here at Cal Expo and then sent him to Running Aces in Minnesota with Steve Wiseman and Kathie Plested.”

After racing once in a $4,500 claimer at Running Aces, Wiseman was approached about selling the trotter, but Robin didn’t want to do that at the time.

“We then put him in a $6,000 claimer that didn’t fill,” Clements continued. “The only other class was the Open Trot in which he finished a strong third, and from that point on we knew we had an Open trotter.”

Franky Provolone went on to win 15 races that year while earning more than $55,000 and was voted CHHA 2012 Horse of the Year for his accomplishments.

“In 2017 and 2018, Franky was enrolled in the Summer Fling Racing League at Running Aces where fans can purchase a piece of a horse for the summer meet,” she added.

And how does Robin Clements sum up this popular performer who will be attending his last dance this weekend?

“He is a very sweet horse with a kind soul who gave 110 percent on the track every time he raced.”

You can’t ask for more than that.

Au Revoir, Open Trot command spotlight

The Au Revoir Invite, which will be the final start for the popular trotter Franky Provolone, and an Open Trot featuring Its A Horse are the main events on Friday night’s Cal Expo program.

There will be 12 contests on the card, which is presented by Watch and Wager LLC, and things get underway at 6:10 p.m.

The Au Revoir, in addition to being Franky Provolone’s final start, is unique in that it will match a pair of trotters against four pacers, with Franks Best being the other trotter going up against pacers Nevermissabeat, McCedes, Bos So Hot and Whatchamacallum.

The co-featured Open Trot will find Its A Horse gunning for his fourth straight victory while leaving from the assigned No. 10 post position in the field of seven. He is a 6-year-old son of Full Count who is owned by Ray Alan Miller, is trained by Marco Rios and will once again be handled by Gerry Longo.

The Ohio-bred trotter made his local debut on Dec. 28 and posted a facile 5-1/4 length score at odds of 9-1 in an Open II affair, then moved up to the top level and did an encore from well off the pace while again motoring away in the final stages.

Its A Horse cut it much closer in the most recent clash at the head of the trotting class, coming from far back at the top of the lane to collar pace-setting Silverhill Volo by a half-length. The latter performer has been runner-up in the last two top dances and accounted for the Dec. 15 Open while rewarding his many backers as the 1-2 choice. Chip Lackey owns, trains and drives the 8-year-old son of Muscle Hill.