The season’s first $6,500 California Sire Stakes for the three-year-old pacing fillies and a $5,500 Filly and Mare Open Pace get the spotlight treatment this Saturday night at Cal Expo.

Things will get underway at 6:10 p.m. under the Watch and Wager LLC banner, with the sire stakes to be contested as the second dash on the 11-race card. The Distaff Open will occupy Race-10 slot.

The field for the sire stakes will line up this way: Glad to Meet Ya from the Junior Wilkinson barn with Luke Plano guiding; the Robin Clements-trained Pep Rally with Steve Wiseman; James Kennedy will guide Goturnumber for Gordie Graham; the Pierre Girard reined-and-trained Lucky Seven Oflodi; and Brigitte Bordeaux for trainer Bob Johnson with Mooney Svendsen handling the lines.

Directing Traffic, who last week added her name to the distaffers who have captured a Filly and Mare Open Pace during the current Cal Expo meet, will look to perform an encore in the co-featured Open.

Directing Traffic is a six-year-old daughter of Real Desire from the Park Place mare Park It Ashley who is owned by Junior Wilkinson and Billie Schwartz, takes her lessons from Wilkinson, and will once again have Luke Plano giving directions.

In last week’s clash at the head of the class over a ‘sloppy’ racetrack, the bay mare was reserved early and sat double digits off the leader in the opening stages. She began to pick up some momentum from the outside on the final bend, then stormed home in the stretch to win going away by two and a half lengths.

Shesamysterytome will be looking to make amends after checking in third as the 6-5 favourite in last week’s distaff open. She was hard used on the front end over an off track that favoured closers as the night progressed. She looms large for owners Ashlee Sluggett and Trevor Williams and driver/trainer Ryan Grundy.

There are two bets offered at Cal Expo each night that come with a reduced 16 per cent takeout rate – those being the 50-cent Pick 5 and the 20-cent Pick 4.

The Pick 5 is offered on the first five races each night, while the Pick 4 is held on the final four races on the card. In addition, on Saturday nights there is a $50,000-guaranteed pool for the Pick 4, with a $40,000 guarantee on Fridays.

(With files from Cal Expo)