By Mark Ratzky, publicity – Cal Expo Harness
A $15,000 California Sire
Stakes for the 3-year-old pacing fillies and a $6,200 Open Pace headed by
Allmyx’sliventexas are the main attractions on Saturday night’s Cal Expo program.
Watch and Wager LLC will
present 13 races with things getting underway at 4:50 p.m.
Rockin the Dragon is one of
the major players in the Sire Stakes. She by Custard The Dragon out of the
Rocknroll Hanover mare Shes Just Rockin, is owned by Mark Anderson, hails from
the Gordie Graham shedrow and will again have Jacob Cutting in the sulky.
Sent off at 7-1 in the most
recent stakes clash two weeks ago, Rockin The Dragon left into a pocket trip,
brushed to command into the stretch and went on to a four-length decision over
odds-on choice Doubleontherocks.
The latter is a homebred
daughter of Lettherockbegin out of the Camystic mare Double L Fab who is owned
and was bred by Nikki Hudson and is reined and trained by Luke Plano.
In the first stakes clash for
this division on February 20 while being sent off the 7-5 second choice,
Doubleontherocks left into a pocket trip behind Cookiesncream, was up to that
that one away at midstretch and went on to a two and a quarter lengths score.
Cookiesncream has had to
settle for a show finish in the first two Sire Stakes at this meet. She was a
sharp winner here on February 5 for her owner/breeders Wayne and Rod Knittel,
conditioner Bob Johnson and pilot Nick Roland and has the rail for this
assignment.
Completing the field are
Witch Hunter for trainer Marco Rios with Cordarius Stewart in the bike; and
Shewentthataway, who gives trainer Johnson a second look with Mooney Svendsen
at the controls.
Sophomores continue to
sort themselves out
The 3-year-old pacers will
get another chance at some big money this weekend with a pair of $15,000
California Sire Stakes up for grabs.
There have been two big-money
dances each for both the boys and the girls, resulting in four different
winners, and it will be interesting to see how they shake out this weekend as
the divisions are in search of a clear-cut leader.
As things have worked out,
both winners of the filly stakes have prevailed from the pocket, as
Doubleontherocks got the job done from the two-hole in the first one and then
had pace-setting duties in the last clash and was overhauled by the stalking
Rockin The Dragon that evening.
Doubleontherocks is a
homebred daughter of Lettherockbegin who is owned and was bred by Nikki Hudson
and is reined and trained by husband Luke Plano. “I claimed her dam and it
turned out she had some issues,” Luke related. “I thought she would make a good
broodmare and we bred her to a Minnesota sire.
“We got her ready last year
in Indiana and Minnesota and she had one start at Running Aces, then we backed
off and pointed for these races.”
So far, so good on that front
with one trophy and a runner-up finish in the first two Sire Stakes, and it’s
time for take three this weekend.
Meanwhile, it’s been Believe
In Dragons and Lodi Phillip in the two stakes gatherings for the colts and
geldings. The former was a game first-over victor in the initial battle on
February 21, while Lodi Phillip avenged a troubled trip in that affair to post
a coast-to-coast decision in the most recent divisional get-together two weeks
ago.
