One of Atlantic Canada's most popular harness racing events for years, the Monctonian Pace was last contested in 1993. Twenty-five years later, the race will celebrate a revival during Old Home Week.
A small group of Moncton-area racing enthusiasts have located the original Monctonion trophy, and on Thursday night (August 16) at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park, the ninth race has been carded as The Monctonian Pace.
Power Baron winning the 1976 Monctonian Pace at Brunswick Downs, one of his three Monctonian wins.
According to horseman and co-organizer Al MacNutt, the original Monctonian Cup trophy will even be on hand.
"Three or four years ago, I went looking for the trophy, the Monctonian Cup, and we didn't know where it was. We checked with different tracks and it turned out it was in a storage closet at (Moncton) City Hall," MacNutt told the Telegraph-Journal. "I made arrangements with the Moncton Museum to take care of it and store it away. So, with it being 25 years now since the last race, our guys said, 'Let's take another run at it this year.'"
In 1947, Moncton Raceway hosted the first Monctonian Pace. The brainchild of track owner George Gray, the race boasted an unheard-of $5,000 purse. The race would continue on as the track changed from Moncton Raceway to Brunswick Downs and then Champlain Raceway, and converted to a five-eighths mile track in 1984.
"When it changed from a half-mile track to five-eighths, there was nothing like it in Eastern Canada. It was the fastest track around," said MacNutt. "Everything about it was classy. The concessions were good and the barns were always kept nice. It was there they started simulcasting, where you could sit at your table and bet on other tracks around the Maritimes. It was a nice spot to be."
In recognition of the history and horse-people associated with the Moncton tracks, PEI Harness Racing will hold a reunion at the EastLink Trade Centre on Thursday from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. All horsepeople and race fans associated with Moncton tracks are welcome to attend and share the memories of this premier maritime race from the past. Those unable to attend can share memories through a Facebook page dedicated to racing in the Moncton area.
"It will be fun to see the old faces from the track. The guys who had stables there, the people that worked in the office, the fans," continued MacNutt. "It's going to be a nice touch."
The $2,500 purse, cooler and trophy for the 2018 Monctonian Pace are sponsored in full by the Moncton Standardbred Racing Association, the City of Moncton, the family of the late Bazil Lund, and Dr. M.L. Patriquin. MacNutt told Trot Insider that the group is seeking sponsorships for future editions of the Monctonian to keep the race's tradition alive.