Grand River Raceway’s Industry Day Celebration is just around the corner, and the event esteems to be one of the best days of the summer for harness racing fans.
Festivities and the TV broadcast kick off at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, August 5. Post time for the first dash is 1:30.
The 23rd annual event includes an 11-race card worth more than $300,000 in purses. The main feature of the day is Grand River Raceway’s signature dash, the 16th annual Battle Of Waterloo. There are 129 Ontario-sired two-year-old pacing colts eligible for the $125,000 dash.
The fifth annual Battle Of The Belles will be contested for $75,000 and 121 Ontario-sired two-year-old pacing fillies remain eligible.
The finalists for those races will be determined during eliminations contested a week prior (July 29, post time 7:05 p.m.). Post position draws for both finals will be conducted during the TV broadcast on July 29.
Rounding out the Industry Day race card are consolation races for the Battles, plus a leg of Grassroots action for three-year-old pacing fillies in the Ontario Sires Stakes.
During the Industry Day card, Grand River Raceway and the Canadian Horse Racing Hall Of Fame will salute Carl Jamieson, who will be inducted into the Hall Of Fame on August 15. Jamieson is a five-time winning trainer of the Battle Of Waterloo. The Rockwood, ON horseman won the race every other year from the inaugural edition (at Elmira Raceway) in 1998 through 2006. In 2000, he trained the top three finishers: C T Rocket, Warrawee Caesar and Futurestarkillean.
Jamieson will be part of a Hall Of Fame autograph session, hosted by the Canadian Horse Racing Hall Of Fame from 1:30 – 2:30.
As always, Industry Day offers many other harness racing delights:
• Fans are invited to meet, and have their photo taken with, Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society ambassador The Painted Pony (1:00 – 2:00).
• Standardbred Canada ’s I Love Canadian Harness Racing Fan Club will be on-hand with the Wheel Of Fame and Fan Club merchandise. They will also award $1 QuickPick Super Hi-5 tickets to the first 50 people (18+) to visit their booth on Industry Day.
• The ninth annual Drivers’ Edition of the Bouncy Pony Stakes (following race nine)
• An All-Access-Kid’s-Pass is available onsite for $5 and includes face painting, balloon artists, bouncy castles, and pony rides (1:00 – 5:00).
• Online Handicapping Challenge, presented by Standardbred Canada ’s I Love Canadian Harness Racing Fan Club (starting August 2).
• $500 Cheerleading Squads: $250 awarded to each cheerleader representing the winning horse in the Battle Of The Belles and the Battle Of Waterloo.
• HorsePlayer Interactive (HPI) is offering three percent cash back for bets made through HPI accounts on Grand River Raceway’s 2013 Industry Day race card.
Special guests joining the Industry Day festivities include:
• Post parades will be led by Joanne Colville’s popular paint mare, Chocolatey Sensation, and Steve McLean’s Armbro Beau. The former racehorse won the Canadian Road Horse to Wagon Championship at the 2012 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. The Balanced Image son will compete at the Kentucky State Fair World's Championship Horse Show in Louisville from August 18 – 25.
• Trainer Carmen Auciello will sing the national anthem at the start of the broadcast.
• Local actors Gary Bryant and Gerard Gouthro will welcome patrons as Battle Of Waterloo Ambassadors Napoleon & The Duke Of Wellington
• The broadcast team includes Ken Middleton (WEG) and Greg Blanchard (Western Fair District)
For complete event details, click here.
(Grand River Raceway)