The $12,500 Kirk Breed Filly and Mare Free-for-All Pace headed by Wonder Of Love and a $15,000 California Sire Stakes for three-year-old pacing fillies featuring Gotubydashorthairs command the spotlight on Sunday evening (April 16) at Cal Expo on a special memorial program.

In addition to honouring Kirk Breed, the program will pay tribute to Carl Sobey, Joel Lesser and Ken Fowler.

There will be 10 races contested under the Watch and Wager LLC banner with things getting underway at 4:55 p.m.

Kirk Breed, who passed away in 2013 at the age of 73, was the executive director of the California Horse Racing Board and previously served as a board member and general manager of the state fair at Cal Expo.

Joel Lesser, who passed away in December at the age of 71, worked on both the backside and the frontside in harness racing. An outstanding athlete, he was a one handicap in golf and played Triple AAA ball with the Dodgers before an injury ended that career. Lesser got his harness education under the much-respected Frog Redden, eventually training himself and having his greatest success with the pacer Tact Wave. He then segued to becoming a racing analyst in the 1990s at Los Alamitos and at Cal Expo.

Kenny Fowler passed away in February at the age of 61 after a combined 35 years as assistant starter and starter at Los Alamitos and Cal Expo. In the summer of 2015, Fowler also became the steward’s aid and a patrol judge on the California fair circuit and was the clerk of scales at the time of his passing. His first job in racing was with Nicol Tremblay as a groom, and he also worked with Bobby Gordon and for Chip Lackey when he was competing at Cloverdale Raceway.

Carl Sobey passed away last July at the age of 68. After graduating from high school in his native Prince Edward Island in 1971, he travelled to Shafter, California, where he worked for the legendary Joe O’Brien stable while carrying on a family involvement in harness racing. Sobey was employed by the state of California as a track official for 33 years, including many years at Cal Expo as the identifier.

Taking a closer look at the co-features, Wonder Of Love will be gunning for her 11th win on the year from 12 starts as she leads all horses in North America this season for wins and heads the field for the Kirk Breed. She is owned and trained by Kimberly Hines and will have James Kennedy giving directions.

Gotubydashorthairs will once again be a heavy favourite in the Sire Stakes for the three-year-old pacing fillies after romping home by 6-3/4 lengths in the most recent stakes dance two weeks ago. The Wind Me Up filly carries the banner of Mark Anderson, hails from the Gordie Graham barn and will once again have Mooney Svendsen in the sulky.

(With files from Cal Expo)