Top Canadian driver Billy Davis Jr. will be returning to his home province of British Columbia for Breeders Classic Day at Fraser Downs on Monday, Nov. 11.
Trainer Rod Therres and partner Blair Miller have secured Davis Jr. to drive their horses on Breeders Classic Day and the 27-year-old reinsman will be donating his five percent driving commissions to Greener Pastures, the B.C. Standardbred Horse Adoption Society. Davis Jr. has also picked up drives in four other races on Monday's card as well as drives in all nine of Sunday's races.
Davis, the son of recent Fraser Downs returnee Bill "The Dominator" Davis, started his career in B.C. before moving to Ontario in 2009. The Guelph resident posted a career-best season in 2012 with 460 wins and over $5 million in purses and won the Prix des Rencontres Internationales du Trotteur Français at France's Hippodrome de Paris-Vincennes as Canada's representative. This year, he currently sits second on the national leaderboard for wins with 339 and his mounts have earned over $3.3 million in purses.
The top two and three-year-olds in British Columbia will be vying for $250,000 in purses on Breeders Classic Day.
Davis Jr. will drive two-year-old gelding Lisplaced from post four in the $50,000 Robert Millbank Breeders Stake. The son of Lis Mara recently broke his maiden with a 1:58.1 victory over a "good" track in the Oct. 27 preliminary leg. Starting just to Davis' outside from post five will be his father's trainee, the near perfect Need You So Bad. Meanwhile, Lisplaced's stablemate, Astronomical Storm, will leave from the inside post position.
Jennys Big Book will be looking to pick up her first career win in the $50,000 Betty Millbank Breeders Stake for two-year-old fillies with Davis Jr. at the lines. The Mister Big filly, who has earned cheques in all four preliminary legs, will start from post five. Fellow Therres trainee Jennys J J will start from post seven while the Debra McCarthy-trained Run And Tell will be looking to continue her perfect stakes record with Kevin Anderson in the sulky.
Davis Jr. will pick up the drive aboard British Columbia Sires Stakes champion Allittleforplace in the following $75,000 Mary Murphy Breeders Stake for three-year-old fillies. Fresh off a 1:57.1 career-best victory in the Nov. 3 leg, the Allamerican Cobalt filly will leave from post two in Monday's final. Richard Lancaster trainee Yanotherhos, another daughter of Allamerican Cobalt, is entering the final off a romping victory in the last preliminary leg and will start from post four with Brad Watt aboard.
In the $75,000 Robert Murphy Breeders Stake for three-year-old colts, Davis Jr. will drive another BCSS champion, Why We Were Choosen. The lightly raced son of Allamerican Cobalt was a 1:56.2 winner in the Oct. 20 leg and has drawn post four for the final. Ideal Art, who has won all three preliminary legs that he's competed in, will start to his inside for the father-son team of trainer Gord and driver John Abbott. Two-time stakes winner D On Sanders leads the David McKellar entry with Scott Knight driving from post seven.
The Win 4 will be guaranteed at $5,000 starting with the Nov. 11 card and continuing throughout the remainder of the month.
Leading up to Breeders Classic Day, Fraser Downs will be holding a group photo shoot for the drivers and trainers involved at the front entrance parking lot on Thursday, Nov. 7. Posters will be handed out on Sunday, Nov. 10 to the first 200 guests that visit the Atrium, beginning at 11:45 a.m. Dan Jukich will also interview the drivers competing on Breeders Classic Day, which will be filmed and broadcasted in between Fraser Downs' live races on Friday, Nov. 8, Sunday, Nov. 10 and Monday, Nov. 11.
Breeders Classic Day celebrations on Monday, Nov. 11 include an autograph session for fans with drivers from 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. There will also be a large Breeders Classic cake and coffee given out for everyone to enjoy. The stakes card will open with the national anthem while two horses circulate the track with Canadian flags. First race post time is set for 12:45 p.m.
Fraser Downs will offer any veteran or active members of the military that visit on Monday, Nov. 11 (Remembrance Day) 50 percent off on food and beverage. Members must present their Military ID at Guest Services to receive the discount.
The I Love Canadian Harness Racing Fan Club will be on track and the first 50 people to sign up will receive a free $1 quick pick triactor ticket, a Fan Club gift and a chance to win a $50 win ticket. Stay tuned to the Standardbred Canada website on Friday for a Breeders Classic Day Fan Club Handicapping Contest.
To view Monday's harness racing entries, click on the following link: Monday Entries - Fraser Downs.
Click here for free, printable program pages for Monday's harness racing card, courtesy TrackIT.
Best of luck Billy, you are a
Best of luck Billy, you are a class act, and a very top driver, way to go.