Sherren Constructing New Career

Trainer-driver Frank Sherren, who has built a successful harness stable in the last two decades, is soon going to concentrate on building, period.

Sherren, a licensed contractor who has spent much of his spare time building and renovating Los Alamitos buildings in recent years, plans to become year-round plant superintendent when the harness meeting ends April 7.

“I’ll be turning over the 10 horses I train for Ed Actkinson to Bob Johnson for [the] Sacramento [meeting],” Sherren said. “I’ll miss the horses, but I don’t like to travel and be away from home. I just live two miles from the track.”

Sherren, 37, has built homes, renovated restaurants and worked at the track as an independent contractor but fans may best remember him for his winning drives with trotter Bonefide Boy and stakes winner R Nestegg.

When track owner Ed Allred needed someone to finish the track’s $5-million Vessels Club before the conclusion of the quarter horse meet in December, he called Sherren.

“It was basically framed and 70% done, but needed all the detail work,” Sherren said. “They’re committed to fixing up and showcasing the place during the next year and a half.”

Sherren, who has been on his own with a stable since he was 19, is the son of veteran trainer-driver Jack Sherren, a Prince Edward Island native who grew up with the family of the legendary Joe O’Brien.

Both Sherrens have benefited from the blue hen broodmare White Nest Egg, co-owned by Jack Sherren and Jim Bagatelos of Dixon. She is the dam of Googie, Egg White, Lil Eggie and R Nestegg, all stakes winners the Sherrens have campaigned.

The elder Sherren said Egg White has produced a Speedy Crown yearling colt. Close tabs are already being kept on White Nest Egg’s next hope, a 2-year-old colt trotter named No Yolk Jack.

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Rick Plano has opened a commanding 70-54 lead over Rick Kuebler in quest of his first driving title here. Plano, the defending training leader, leads Rudy Sialana in a tight battle in that category, 49-48. Plano continued to win last week, clicking with star mare pacer Heavy Weather, rejuvenated veteran Rana Diablo and promising New Zealand import Spend A Dollar.

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Meet star Hi Ho Silverheel’s, unbeaten in five starts this year, will face new competition Friday in the feature race, Falcon Dakota, a Chicago import who won the feature last week in 1:54 1/5.

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Gee Gee Digger lowered his track record for 3-year-old gelding pacers to 1:53 3/5 Sunday with a 5 1/2-length romp over archrival Little Bighorn in a $15,000 Sire Stakes race. Both are scheduled to ship east next month to test top stakes competition.

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You Own A Bank won for the second time for trainer-owner Lois Anderson, a former federal government court reporter.