Stakes action at Cal Expo

Lodi Phillip and Winihavetime, both coming off back-to-back harness racing stakes scores, get the marquee treatment in the two California Sire Stakes at Cal Expo Harness Saturday evening for the 3-year-old males and the 4-year-old distaffers, respectively.

Watch and Wager LLC will present 12 races with first post set for 5:20 p.m.

Lodi Phillip, a powerful winner of the last two clashes for the sophomore male division, looks to continue his dominance. He is a homebred son of Another Mile out of the Live Or Die mare Tawney Reserve N who races for Mary Harris and Pierre Girard, hails from the Greig Watson barn and will have Luke Plano back at the controls.

After having a troubled trip and losing his chance in the first stakes clash back on February 21, Lodi Phillip has had no such issues in the last two big-money forays while posting decisive decisions on both occasions.

Sent off at 70 cents on the dollar in the most recent stakes gathering two weeks ago, he made a power brush to command past the quarter and took complete control of things from that point, reporting to the wire with three and a half lengths to spare. Taking him on are Chase The Gold, Im A Magic Man, SD Watch Me Now, Allthundadownunda, Believe In Dragons and Arnie’s Army.

Winihavethetime is a homebred daughter of Kent’s On Nuke who is owned by Mark Anderson, comes from the Gordie Graham shedrow and will once again have Mooney Svendsen at the controls.

In the first two stakes clashes at the meet for this group she has sat a stalking trip to the stretch and come home strongly to win going away. Her 1:56 1/5 victory in the most recent added-money contest established a new career standard for the Anderson charge.

Set to challenge her are Prom Queen, Debit Or Credit, Akanay, Le Montrachet and Sierra Mystic.

Johnny Ringo racking up the wins

Johnny Ringo is on quite a roll for Nathalie Tremblay and Gretchen Smith, rattling off four wins from his last six starts with Jake Cutting at the controls while missing by just a nose after tough trips.

The 4-year-old son of Rockin Image had to go wide around stalled cover turning for home in hist most recent foray, but made a huge move into the drive and prevailed by a length over favored Its Pointless.

“We bought the horse off the website Ongait.com back in July,” trainer Tremblay related after last weekend’s score. “He was a young horse with lots of conditions who was showing pace at Hoosier.”

Nathalie and Gretchen got Johnny Ringo ready at Smith’s ranch and he’s enjoying an excellent 2021 at Cal Expo, with his most recent 1:53 4/5 mile shaving a tick off his lifetime standard.

“He’s got lots of talent, but he’s still green and learning what it’s all about,” Tremblay noted. “When he comes off the track, he doesn’t even seem tired.

“Another good thing is that he can stay in that class because he hasn’t earned that much money.”

Once this meet is over, plans call for Johnny Ringo to ship to Chicago for the Hawthorne meet. “He seems to do best over a bigger track, so that’s the plan for the summer,” his mentor explained.

By Mark Ratzky, for Cal Expo Harness