Norman Pointer      Birthdate: Dec. 22, 1945      Birthplace: Christopher, Ill.      Residence: Long Branch, N.J.      Family: son, Tom.

2007 Gulfstream Record

 Career:

• Long a fixture in New Jersey, Pointer remained in South Florida for most of 2007 racing at Gulfstream and Calder.
• Missed most of the 2006 Gulfstream season after undergoing heart surgery.
• Main client is Runnin Horse Farms, a partnership of the Fort Lauderdale-based Peter Lombardi and Les Steinger. They were top owners at the 2002 Gulfstream meet and were the top owners at four consecutive Monmouth meets from 1999 to ‘02.
• His most recent stable star is the veteran turf runner Hotstufanthensome, who won the 2006 Mac Diarmida Handicap over three graded-stakes winners. He won the Tampa Bay Stakes last year and finished second in the Pan American Handicap here last March. Pointer’s top runner for Runnin Horse was Rize, who went wire-to-wire in 2000 Iselin Handicap. Rize subsequently was hard-luck third in 2002 Donn Handicap.
• Obtained first trainer’s license in 1970 … Eventually settled at Delaware, training for the late track owner Bill Rickman, before moving to New Jersey … Enjoyed success with My Jeff’s Mombo, a top mid-Atlantic sprinter in 1999-’00.

Other:

• Grew up in Southern Illinois where his father, Tom, based his stable … Walked horses before school as a kid and later worked as a groom, exercise rider and jockey’s agent … Was jockey agent for David Gall in late 1960s before turning to training … First winner as trainer was with Peach Punch at Cahokia Downs in 1970.