Sire Stakes atop Friday Cal Expo card

The first California Sire Stakes of the year is on tap Friday night at Cal Expo with the harness racing colt and gelding pacers vying for a $20,000 purse.

The main event will be the fourth on a nine-race card and first post is set for 6:45p.m.

Alien Art Form is a son of Outrageous Art who is owned, trained and driven by Ryan Grundy and already has Sire Stakes trophies on his mantle from last season.

He recorded his most recent victory two back in one of the elimination heats for the Steve Wiseman Memorial, then had a rough trip in last week’s final and finished off the board behind favored Sign Of The Times.

Search And Destroy was a solid third in the Wiseman final and looms a major player for Set The Pace Racing LLC and driver/trainer Nick Roland

He captured a conditioned race here on January 18 with a powerful burst turning for home and sports a 1:55 lifetime standard that was established last year at Running Aces.

Taking on this pair are Sylvester, Bro Hug, Rocklikehurricane, Celebrity Status and Senga Napalm.

Looking ahead to Saturday, the 4-year-old pacing fillies will be in Sire Stakes action with Over Ice and Overthemoonforyou heading the cast.

Silverhill Volo still has winning spirit

Score one for the senior citizens as the 14-year-old trotter Silverhill Volo was guided to victory last week by his 72-year-old owner/driver/trainer Chip Lackey.

“I’ve had him for about seven years now,” Lackey related after last week’s score.

“He’s bred to be a good one. He’s by Muscle Hill and his dam was well-bred and won the Hambletonian Oaks.”

It was the 44th lifetime score for the gelding, who has become a mainstay at this track for the past several seasons, putting his career bank account at just shy of $300,000.

Silverhill Volo may not be the same force he once was, but a drop into conditioned company proved the winning formula last week while having no trouble with the sloppy going.

Lackey was parked to the two hole past the quarter with his veteran performer, was out to command on the final bend and went on to a handy two and a half-length score while returning $16 to his backers.

Silverhill Volo and Lackey will be back in action in Friday evening’s third race.

by Mark Ratzky, for Cal Expo Harness