The trotting mare Silverlode went over the $100,000 plateau recently, while her pilot Steve Desomer comes into this week’s action at Cal Expo with 2,627 trips to the charmed enclosure for just shy of $11 million in earnings.

The six-year-old daughter of the British Sterling and the 78-year-old Desomer teamed up last Sunday for a coast-to-coast jaunt over conditioned foes, with the 1:57.4 once-around being three-ticks off the career standard she established last season.

Less than an hour later it was Steve and Vickie Desomer posing for pictures once again with another trotting mare, as Tour Guide pretty much followed Silverlode’s modus operandi and gamely held off all challenges for a $21 upset.

“Silverlode is one of Steve’s favourites,” Vickie related when asked about the trotter. “As far as her earnings, a lot of that is reflected in sire stakes money.”

When it comes to staying involved in the game, Vickie said, “The young trotters are what keep Steve and I going. Making the racehorse is more important to us than racing the racehorse.”

As far as when the meeting concludes in two weeks, Vickie explained that Steve will get back to one of his other passions. “He's looking forward to wrapping up the meet, so he can return to his cabin in Klamath River to resume his never ending quest for gold!”

Good prospecting, Steve.

Sire Stakes Bringing Out Top Trotters, Pacers

A pair of $10,000 California Sire Stakes highlights the Sunday night program at Cal Expo, with Avila Beach and Speak English heading the pacing contest, while stablemates Zoeys Delight and Sandys Song have top billing in the trotting affair.

There will be 10 races on the menu Sunday evening with first post for the Watch and Wager LLC program scheduled for 5 p.m. The sire stakes for the pacing fillies goes as the third event on the card, while the trotting sire stakes will be a non-betting event prior to the regular program.

Speak English is looking to make amends after finishing third as the odds-on favourite in the most recent stakes clash for the pacing distaffers two weeks ago. Frank Nevarez owns and bred the daughter of Power Of Art with Gordie Graham doing the conditioning.

The dark-hued filly was a very impressive winner of her first two starts with Tim Maier guiding, both resulting in sire stakes victories and accomplished in first-over fashion. She tried similar tactics in the last stakes clash on April 12, but weakened in the lane to finish third that evening as the 1-2 favourite.

It was Avila Beach who prevailed in that contest for owner/breeders Wayne and Rod Knittel, trainer Bob Johnson and pilot Mooney Svendsen. She rallied off the favourite’s cover to get the job done by a length and a half, with the 1:56.3 clocking being just a tick off the career standard she established with an April 3 conditioned score.

Rounding out the field are Pips Valentina and Little Cher Amo, who both hail from the George Reider barn and occupy the inside two slots; and Smash, who will start from the outside for trainer Junior Wilkinson.

Trainer Johnson is holding the aces in the sire stakes for the sophomore trotters with Sandys Song, who accounted for the first six big-money clashes for the division; and Zoeys Delight, who upset her stablemate in the most recent sire stakes two weeks ago. Taking them on are JK Journey and Sandys Song.

A reminder that there are four wagers offered at Cal Expo each night that come with a reduced 16 per cent takeout rate. They are the Jackpot 6 and Hi-5, which are both 10-cent minimum bets; the 50-cent Pick 5: and the 20-cent Pick 4, which has a $25,000-guaranteed pool as part of the USTA Strategic Wagering Program.

(Cal Expo)