Stablemates carry the banner at Cal Expo

Stablemates Celebrity Status (Vlos) and Search And Destroy, one-two in the first big-money harness racing clash of the season for the 4-year-old male pacers three weeks ago, top the cast for Saturday night’s $20,000 California Sire Stakes.

There will be 10 races presented by Watch and Wager LLC with things getting underway at 6:35 p.m.

Both Celebrity Status and Search And Destroy carry the banner of Set The Pace Racing LLC and take their lessons from Nick Roland, with the trainer guiding the former and Luke Plano in the sulky behind Search And Destroy.

Celebrity Status is a homebred son of Vlos who put in a very game mile in that initial stake event for the division on February 8.

He was parked to command by the quarter, head a clear lead to the drive and held safe over his pocket-sitting barnmate by a neck that evening.

Search And Destroy left to command in that first stakes before yielding to Celebrity Status, tracked that one to the lane and just missed. He was a 1:55 winner last season at Running Aces and will be looking for some revenge.

Alien Art Form was the 6-5 favorite in the stakes three weeks ago, made a first-over bid and flattened out. Ryan Grundy, owns, trains and drives the son of Outrageous Art.

Completing the field are Rocklikeahurricane, Fiery Conclusion, Sylvester and Bro Hug.

Sire Stakes moving in right direction

The California Sire Stakes action continues this month with the 4-year-old pacers in action in a pair of $20,000 races this week and the 3-year-old pacers doing battle in two $20,000 contests next week.

In all, a total of $420,000 will be given away in the Sire Stakes at this meeting, including a pair of $50,000 finales for the 4-year-olds on closing night, May 2.

To give you some idea how things have improved, in 2017 there was a total of $54,000 paid out in the California Sire Stakes with a pair of $10,000 finals.

In addition to having a strong say in Saturday’s Sire Stakes with Celebrity Status and Search And Destroy, Set The Pacing and trainer Nick Roland loom large in the Filly-Mare Open Pace with Graceful Horizon

She is eyeing her fifth straight win while leaving from the outside post in the field of seven.

A reminder that all 20-cent Pick 4s and 20-cent Pick 5s come with a reduced 16 percent takeout rate and there is a $20,000-guaranteed gross pool on the early Pick 5 and a $25,000 guarantee on the late Pick 4.

Free past performances for the early Pick 5 and late Pick 4 are available at handicapping.ustrotting.com

by Mark Ratzky, for Cal Expo Harness