Hitchiker makes nine in a row at Cal-Expo

August 01, 2008

Yesterday, Open Handicap trotters, racing for a purse of $7,700, were featured on the final night of the spring-summer meet at Cal-Expo, on which Hitchiker remained unbeaten on the year in five starts.

Being assigned the outside combined with being off three weeks couldn't stop Hitchiker from another dominating performance.

In advance of starting from his assigned post-five in the field of the same number, was driver Etienne Desomer concerned that his trotter had been off since July 10?

"No, because I trained him on the gate this past Saturday and he was very good, he was superb," said Desomer.

With the gate beginning to roll, one of the main foes for Hitchiker jumped it off.

"I was kind of liking it for my purposes when British Columbia (Steve Hyman) made a break and was well behind the gate because it was obviously one less I had to worry about--especially given that she exploded last week to win."

Under a hold at the start, yet firing out for the lead, Hitchiker would get the lead just after an eighth of a mile into a :28.2 opening quarter mile.

Trotting a wind-aided :28.1 second-quarter while reaching the half-mile station, timed in :56.3, Desomer admits he wasn't calling the shots.

"The half was pretty much no choice because he just does what he wants to do--I'm just a passenger."

With the field now on the final-turn, Desomer would begin to let out a notch on his charge.

"I could hear them starting to come, so I lifted the lines a bit at the five-eighths. Then right after that I popped the earplugs so he could hear them, and he responded well."

Opening up some at the three-quarter mile marker, timed in 1:25.2, Desomer felt something the public didn't see.

"I actually thought, at the three-quarters, that K D Rowdy One (Rocky Stidham) was going to catch me because my horse was getting a little tired and K D Rowdy One was gaining. In the stretch, though, I got after him and he�d be fine and cruise home, which shows you the type of horse he is because he could have gotten more tired, but when it came down to it--he picked it back up."

Under urging in the stretch until Desomer tucked his whip with a sixteenth of a mile to go, there would be absolutely no catching the four year-old as he'd go on to win ($2.40) by three lengths. Bred and owned by the Desomer Stables, and trained by Vickie Desomer, Hitchiker would win for the 19th time in 24 career starts, stopping the timer at 1:56.1. K D Rowdy One finished in second, and Easter Call (Lou Pena) finished another 3 3/4 lengths farther back, in third.

"It was another great race and now he gets a well deserved rest," finished Desomer. (Cal-Expo)

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