by Mark Ratzky, publicity, Cal Expo Harness

Sacramento, CA — Steve and Vicki Desomer sent out three winners on last Sunday night’s Cal Expo card, with all three being trotters out of the champion Website mare Charlotte’s Web.

The 3-year-old Claudius Augustus filly Kissed The Boys kicked things off by springing a $68 upset in the first leg of the Alan Kirschenbaum Series in the second race on the program with Steve at the controls. It was the 7-year-old British Sterling mare Silverlode accounting for the next event as the 6-5 favorite under the 79-year-old Desomer’s direction, while Kissed The Boys’ 4-year-old full brother Cadet capped off the barn/driver/broodmare hat trick two races later while returning $9.60 to his backers.

“It was a fun night, to be sure,” Vickie related after posing for pictures. “Steve said that the Charlotte’s Webs go the same on an off track as they do on a fast track — strong but not very fast.”

Vickie related she had a little talk with her husband after he guided Cadet to his victory for his third trip to the charmed enclosure on the program.

“I suggested this might be a good time to retire. You can guess his answer.”

Kissed The Boys was the only member of the cast making her debut in last week’s Kirschenbaum opener and was pretty game getting the job done over a sloppy track.

“We named her in honor of my mother, who passed away last year,” Vickie explained. “She used to like to recite that ditty about Georgie Porgie, who ‘Kissed the girls and made them cry.’”

The Desomers also have a 2-year-old full brother to Kissed The Boys and Cadet named Gold Run that could make some noise by the end of the season.

“He’s Minnesota stakes eligible and Steve likes him,” Vickie noted.

There is also a yearling colt by Claudius Augustus and she is back in foal to that sire.

Our favorite track historian Robin Clements gives us the backstory on Charlotte’s Web.

“Charlotte’s Web herself was the 2-year-old trotting filly champion. The week before her first 3-year-old stakes race she raced in a race on a very sloppy track. Before the sixteenth pole Charlotte made a break and spotted the field about 15 lengths before she got back on the trot.

“At about the three-eighths pole she made another break spotting the field about 20 lengths before she again got back on the trot, going into the final turn.

“She was behind by about eight lengths when she started pacing and Steve had to knock her off stride to get her back trotting again. Again she is about 12 lengths off the leaders by the time she got trotting again and she not only caught the field, but won the race.

“I recall there was a bridge jumper who had bet $18,000 to show on her that night. I took care of Charlotte when she raced that night and I remember right after the race the other grooms and I were talking in awe of what she had just done.

“Charlotte went sore before the 3-year-old stakes races and was retired and sent to the breeding shed.”

The rest, as they say, is history.

Contentious field set for featured Open Pace

Bettor’s Promise, One And Only and Jazzmanian Devil, who all chased home the razor-sharp mare Stable Eyes at most recent asking, get away from that rival and head the cast for Saturday night’s $6,000 Open I Pace.

There will be 13 races contested under the Watch and Wager LLC banner with first post set for 6:15 p.m. and the main event goes as the third event on the evening. The trotters and pacers will also be in action on Sunday evening.