After watching his horses compete from the sidelines for three long months with an ankle injury sustained in a racing accident, driver Kelly Hoerdt returned to the sulky this weekend and was back in the winner's circle on Saturday night at Northlands Park.
Hoerdt, who had four drives on Friday night and another five on Saturday, made his return appearance to the winner's circle with Burstin Bubbles, a four-year-old pacing mare he claimed for $9,000 in her last start on Nov. 21 with Blair Corbeil. The Beaumont, Alberta horseman rallied home off cover with the daughter of Badlands Hanover to win the sixth race for claiming mares in 1:58.1.
Hoerdt last drove on September 13 at Alberta Downs when he was injured during an accident in the ASHA Filly Stakes with Blue Star Escape, who recovered from her scrapes within the first two weeks of the incident.
Hoerdt won last year's O'Brien Award of Horsemanship and has driven 1,703 winners in his career with his starters earning over $10.3 million in purses. He has also won 1,382 races as a trainer with his stable amassing over $9.6 million.
Alberta's leading horseman Travis Cullen won three of Saturday's nine races, including a victory with seven-race streaker Raging Fingers, while driver Jamie Gray and trainer Glenn Lutz teamed up for a double.
Northlands Park has announced that harness racing is cancelled this upcoming Friday, December 26. Racing will resume on Saturday, December 27.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Saturday Results - Northlands Park.