LOS ALAMITOS : Captain Paul Adds Class to Opening Night

Despite his advanced age, the 10-year-old gelding Captain Paul enjoyed the best season of his career this summer at Sacramento.

He won six of eight starts over the one-mile course against the top older trotters on the grounds and set a track record for that division on June 18, racing a mile in 1:56, a career best. This was in sharp contrast to his meager achievements--two victories in 13 races--last spring at Los Alamitos, where he returns tonight as the 7-5 morning line favorite in the third race, a $12,000 Invitational Trot.

The trot shares the spotlight with the 11th race, an Invitational Pace for fillies and mares, on the opening card of the 54-night summer-fall harness meeting.

Owned by Leslie Rosenthal of Rolling Hills Estates, Captain Paul has a new trainer, veteran Nicol Tremblay. Don DeJohn, who claimed Captain Paul in May for $8,000 and trained him at Sacramento until late July, recently began serving a seven-month drug suspension. One of the races that brought DeJohn’s suspension was Captain Paul’s eight-length victory on June 11. The purse money was forfeited.

Captain Paul will face five other trotters in the third race--David’s Legend, Oliver Je Bear, Gallant Max, Table Card and Theora Barnum.