McClure Reaches Driving Milestone

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Published: April 27, 2016 10:36 pm EDT

Driver Bob McClure celebrated a career milestone on Wednesday night (April 27) at The Raceway at the Western Fair District as he reached the coveted 1,000-win mark.

Entering the evening's program, McClure needed just a pair of wins to hit the mark, which became within reach after he guided three-year-old pacing filly Deucette ($2.10) to a dominant 2:00.1 score in the seventh race for trainer Tim Jacobson.

The 25-year-old reinman celebrated the milestone in his very next drive as he steered the Paul MacDonell-trained My Rhythm Of Rhyme ($2.30) to a 1:58.2 hard-fought victory in the ninth race.

McClure sent the three-year-old Shadow Play filly to the lead and fended off Sandy De Vie and driver Alfie Carroll in a two-horse breakaway to prevail by half a length.

McClure is coming off his best season to date as he posted career-high statistics in 2015 with 340 wins (third-best in all of Canada) and over $2.1 million in purse earnings.

He currently ranks second nation-wide in 2016 behind The Raceway's leading driver Alfie Carroll for wins with 146. In fact, the resident of Elora, Ont. has cracked Canada's top 10 driver standings this year for wins, earnings ($723,602) and UDRS (.368).

Carroll enjoyed a stellar night at the track as well, with wins in half of the evening's 10 races. Among his winners was Eve Marie Seelster ($4.80), who was victorious in the featured $10,000 Fillies & Mares Preferred 2 Handicap Pace.

The eight-year-old Artiscape mare had won her first six Western Fair starts of the year and is now seven-for-nine at the London oval. She was backed as the 3-5 favourite despite two recent misses and rewarded her following as she rallied four-wide from next-to-last and blew by pacesetter Doo Wee Rusty in a season's best 1:56.2 winning effort. Trailer Pinky Tuscadero and Mike Horner also closed late, finishing half a length behind in second-place.

Victor Puddy trains Eve Marie Seelster for owner Keith Cassell of Smiths Falls, Ont.

To view Wednesday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Wednesday Results - Western Fair.

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