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Looking for a great way to kick start another fantastic Spring weekend? You simply do not want to miss the 2012 edition of the $300,000 Molson Pace this Friday evening, May 25, at The Raceway at Western Fair District! Come on out for a thrilling card of racing, beginning at 6:50 PM, featuring returning champion pacer Foiled Again, who has amassed an impressive $3.6 million dollars in earnings during his impressive career.
2012 also marks the inaugural year of the Molson ‘Post-Time Party’, conveniently located adjacent to the track in the Progress Building, featuring Country music star Dallas Smith, the Molson Extreme Team, a delicious patio BBQ, and a $500 Win Bet Draw for the feature race! The Fan Club will also be on site with merchandise to purchase, swag prize draws, and a free gift for the first 50 people to sign up!
For more information about the Molson Pace, click http://www.westernfairdistrict.com/gaming/molson_pace
Then, round off your weekend with a scenic trip to Grand River Raceway in Elora for their annual (and free) Open House on Sunday, May 27 between 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM. Come on out and explore the fascinating world of harness racing in this hands-on and educational event for the entire family! You will have the opportunity to learn from industry experts about topics like horse heath and anatomy, blacksmith and hoof care, and driving and training racehorses and you will even have the chance to drive a real racehorse on the track! The Fan Club will be on site with information, prize draws, and swag for sale, so be sure to swing by and say hello!
For more information about the Open House, click here or call (519) 846-5455 x238 or email info@grandriverraceway.com.
A trip to the local Standardbred breeding farm proved to be a popular choice for more than 1,000 people that visited and toured the four farms that took part in the Mother’s Day Open House on Sunday. The event was coordinated by the Standardbred Breeders of Ontario Association and Standardbred Canada’s I Love Canadian Harness Racing Fan Club.
High Stakes Farm in Moffat, Seelster Farms in Lucan, St. Lads Farm in Ruscom and Twinbrook Farms in Embro opened their farms to the general public from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. for this special promotion.
The horses were the stars of the event, but as well as meeting the resident mares, foals, yearlings and stallions at the farms, the guests were able to interact with the breeders, their families and staff to learn about the province’s standardbred breeding and racing industry and a typcial day in their lives. The result was nothing short of outstanding.
“I was overwhelmed at the response,” said Tammy McNiven of Twinbrook Farms. “With everything that’s going on in our industry, it’s great to know that people still care about the horses. People really took an interest in what we do and were asking when they could come back!” McNiven was also very pleased that her local MPP, Ernie Hardeman, made the trip to the farm and spent two hours on site.
Bob Ladouceur from St. Lads Farm reported that his event “was very well received,” “We anticipated guests would be at the farm for 20 to 40 minutes. However, most lingered for an hour and a half to two hours. We had lots of questions about the slots at racetracks program and how it will affect us. I estimated that 75% of the people were non-rural and non-horse people who attended.”
“Most of the people we had were definitely not horsey people,” said Joanne Colville from High Stakes, “I don’t know how many times I heard someone say, “this is the best Mother’s Day ever.”
Walter Parkinson reported that a lot of young families came out to Seelster Farms. “The feedback was excellent. I would say the vast majority of the people were not from the industry which was great.”
“The SBOA is extremely pleased with the response received at the Mother's Day Open House promotion held across four breeding farms this past weekend, “ said Anna Meyers, president of the SBOA. “ The open house attracted people across a wide range of ages who were genuinely interested in learning more about the breeding industry. For many, it was an opportunity to see a mare and foal close up for the first time. We feel that this type of educational opportunity is important as it exposes people to the sport and helps them understand the importance of the breeding industry to the rural economy. Many stated they will be venturing to the race track for the first time in the next few weeks as a follow up. As well, there were a number of people who were well informed about the crisis the industry is in since the announcement of the end of slots at racetracks program and who extended their hope that a solution would be worked out to preserve the industry. The comments were genuine, they were heartfelt and were comforting for those of us in the industry to hear. Moving forward, we realize the importance of educating those in our communities and beyond about our sport. It was definitely well worth the effort.
Guests who visited the farms were given an I Love Canadian Harness Racing package which included a brochure on the Ontario Standardbred Breeding Industry, information on harness racing, some swag items and coupons / discounts for the local racetrack.
Standardbred Canada and the SBOA wish to extend their thanks to Clinton Raceway, Grand River Raceway, Hanover Raceway, The Raceway at Western Fair and Woodbine Entertainment Group for providing coupons and prize packages for the farms.
The mission of the SBOA is to continue to encourage and support the growth of a financially viable and sustainable breeding industry while representing and clearly defining the breeders’ position on major issues to our industry partners, government and regulators. It also aims to provide breeders with improved communications and educational resources.
A special thanks goes out to the Standardbred Breeding Farms and volunteers that took part in the Mother's Day Open House:
High Stakes Farm
Fan Club 'Pay It Forward' contest winner, and Heart of Harness Racing Ambassador, Jerry McCabe, was honoured with a special presentation on Saturday, May 12 at Red Shores Racetrack & Casino. He and his special guests enjoyed a wonderful meal at the Top of the Park, where they were warmly welcomed by Red Shores' very own Raceway Experience Manager Brett Revington and Managing Director, Tom Mullally. Jerry made the front page of the racing program and the entire evening at the track was aptly named "Jerry McCabe Recognition Night." Jerry was awarded a handsome Red Shores jacket during the on-track presentation as announcer Vance Cameron read a citation of recognition about Jerry's outstanding contribution to Atlantic harness racing in front of his friends, family, and racing fans!
Welcome Back San Pail Party at Woodbine Racetrack!
The I Love Canadian Harness Racing Fan Club team would like to thank everyone who came out to show their enthusiastic support for San Pail’s 2012 debut in the $50,000 opening leg of the Glorys Comet Trotting Series at Woodbine Racetrack during his Season Kick-Off Party on Saturday night!
San Pail fans enjoyed a great reception in the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame complete with a delicious carrot cake, coffee, prize draws, and a rare glimpse of San Pail’s most prized trophies, awards, photographs and treasured keepsakes! Fans were also able to chat with the connections of the superstar trotter including owner-breeder Glenn Van Camp and his wife, Donna, Susan, Rhonda, and Wyatt Hughes, and Cody Ferguson.
With his excited fans cheering tirelessly from the fence, dressed in black to support of the superstar trotter, San Pail proved once again that he has what champions are made of. He and driver Randy Waples were victorious in this, his eight-year-old debut, simultaneously earning his 50th career win and pushing his overall lifetime earnings to over $3 million for trainer-owner Rod Hughes and breeder-owner Glenn Van Camp. What an incredible night!
A very special thanks goes out to all of San Pail’s connections, especially Glenn and Donna Van Camp and Susan Hughes for bringing all of the amazing memorabilia to share with racing fans! Congratulations also goes out to Janice Lim and Aldo Paolucci, our Fan Club prize draw winners!
In the aftermath of his incredible accomplishments this side of the border at the 2011 O'Brien Awards, San Pail was honoured at the U.S. Harness Writers Association's annual Dan Patch Awards Dinner. San Pail swept the sport's top honours, receiving Dan Patch Award trophies for Horse of the Year, Trotter of the Year, and Best Older Male Trotter. He received 93 of the 117 votes for Horse of the Year after winning 14 of 16 races and $1.28 million last season. He is the oldest Horse of the Year since Savoir received the honour in 1975.
San Pail's wins last season include the Breeders Crown, Maple Leaf Trot, Nat Ray Invitational, Credit Winner and Allerage Trot. A hearfelt congratulations goes out to the fan favourite San Pail and all of his connections including trainer-owner Rod Hughes and owner-breeder Glenn Van Camp.
Race Day was on the big screen on Wednesday, February 8 during the Race Day Launch Party, co-hosted by the I Love Canadian Harness Racing Fan Club and Iron Horse Photo.
It was a star studded night as the cast and crew was on hand to meet and greet more than 150 guests who came out for the launch. Following Race Day, there was a Q & A session with a number of the stars of the documentary, including Jody Jamieson, Phil Hudon, Anthony MacDonald, Doug McNair, Randy Waples and Rick Zeron.
The Mayor of Milton, Mayor Gordon Krantz, came out to enjoy the festivities and there was even a special guest appearnace by TROT 4 Kids mascot, Willie Win.
Congratulations to Iron Horse Photo for putting together this engaging and entertaining film that provides a snapshot of a day in the life of the people who live, love, and breathe harness racing!
Standardbred Canada and the I Love Canadian Harness Racing Fan Club Team wish to extend our appreciation to everyone who took the time to submit photos for our 2012 calendar.
The Fan Club received over 255 submissions from amateur and professional photographers and fans from across the country. Selecting only 12 images that captured the spirit of harness racing was not an easy task as there were so many great submissions. Take a look at the slide show below for some of the great submissions.
This calendar is now available as a Fan Appreciation gift, FREE to all members of the I Love Canadian Harness Racing Fan Club & SC Members from Standardbred Canada's Field Reps at tracks currently racing and SC's head office at 2150 Meadowvale Blvd in Mississauga.
The Fan Club had an amazing time with the fans at the 2011 Forest City Pace this past Saturday, November 26 at The Raceway at Western Fair. The evening promised an incredible field of contenders from across North America, and boy did they deliver! Long shot millionaire pacing mare Voelz Hanover captured the win with driver Mario Baillargeon, making for an exciting trip in this, the 3rd edition of the $195,000Forest City Pace!
There was an autograph session with top drivers Jody Jamieson, Trevor Henry, and Tim Tetrick as well as incredible Fan club draws & giveaways! The first 100 people to join the Fan Club received complimentary gift & we gave out some other amazing prizes including I Love Canadian Harness Racing swag and $50 win tickets! Congratulations to all our winners!
SC's I Love Canadian Harness Racing Fan Club Team & hundreds of members enjoyed a fantastic night at Woodbine Racetrack on Breeders Crown night. The racing was world class & the Fan Club was out in full force to support San Pail in his successful bid to add a coveted Breeders Crown Championship to his impressive list of accomplishments.
The 7 year old son of San Pallegrino now has 14 wins and 2 seconds in 16 races this year and is just shy of $3 million in career earnings for his owner-breeder Glenn Van Camp and owner-trainer Rod Hughes.
The Older Horse Trot was one of the highlights of the evening, which featured 12 Breeders Crown Championships. This was the first time in the history of the Breeders Crown that all 12 events were hosted in one night at a Canadian racetrack!
The I Love Canadian Harness Racing Fan Club's Faces of Racing enjoyed an incredible night! Jody Jamieson scored the Breeders Crown double as he guided Frenchfrysanvinegar to victory in the open Mare Trot & then returned to the winner's circle with Money On My Wheel in the Three Year Old Filly Pace. Prior to the Filly event, Randy Waples teamed up with super trotter San Pail for a popular win in the Older Horse Trot. Mark MacDonald & Casie Coleman also teamed up for a win with Betterthancheddar in the glamour boy Three Year Old Pacing Colt division.
Resident photographer Clive Cohen from New Image Media had the best seat in the house and the best view. We've selected a range of images from Clive's portfolio to highlight the best of Breeders Crown night.
Click here for the Standardbred Canada feature races page, detailing all of the major harness races coming up in your area.
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| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| High Stakes Farm Map- Custom.pdf | 216.23 KB |
| Seelster Farms Map- Custom.pdf | 960.53 KB |
| St Lads Farm Map- Custom.pdf | 875.46 KB |
| Twinbrook Farms Map- Custom.pdf | 888.37 KB |
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