Woodbine’s final Standardbred program contested
April 10, 2018,by Mark McKelvie, WEG Communications
Toronto, ON — The era of harness racing at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario wrapped up Monday evening (April 9) after 24 years. A 10-race card was contested on the final night with the $26,520 Preferred Trot headlining the card.
The 6-year-old gelding Big Rich went coast-to-coast for his second consecutive Preferred score. The Richard Moreau trainee was steered to his third win of the season by Louis Philippe Roy.
New Image Media photo
Parkhill Nonstop and trainer/driver Pat Hudon won the final Standardbred race ever at Woodbine.
Big Rich posted solid fractions of :27, :55.4 and 1:23.4 before trotting home in :29.1 to win by 1-1/2 lengths. Moreau’s other participant, B Yoyo, rallied to finished second, while longshot Cue Hall was third.
Owned by 9099 3833 Quebec Inc. and Frank Spagnolo, Big Rich has banked $58,082 in nine starts this season and Monday’s triumph was the 21st of his career, pushing him to $357,710 in career earnings. The clocking of 1:53 established a new career-mark for Big Rich. The Moreau trainee paid $3.80 to win.
Parkhill Nonstop and trainer/driver Pat Hudon became the answer to a trivia question when they won the final Standardbred race ever at Woodbine. The 4-year-old gelded trotter capitalized off a perfect two-hole steer from Hudon to win by 5-1/4 lengths in a career-best 1:57.
Parkhill Nonstop was one of the most familiar faces of the final Woodbine Standardbred meet. The Hudon trainee raced 18 times from Oct. 26 to April 9.
Earlier in the evening, horsepeople gathered outside the paddock for a final photo at the Toronto track.
Live Standardbred racing now moves to its new permanent home, Woodbine Mohawk Park, in Campbellville. The 2018 meet begins Thursday evening (April 12). Post time is 7:30 p.m.
- Memorable final Saturday at Woodbine (Saturday, April 07, 2018)
The final Saturday night card of harness racing at Woodbine Racetrack was a great night for reflecting and celebrating 24 years of Standardbred action at the Airport oval. The 10-race card saw a pair of fitting results and the all-time leading driver and trainer in track history recognized. One of the coolest moments in 24 years of harness racing at Woodbine occurred Saturday (April 7) when Roger Mayotte won his final drive at the Toronto track more than 24 years after winning the first harness race in Woodbine history. New Image Media photo.
- Waples and McMaster big part of Woodbine era (Monday, April 09, 2018)
Driver Roger Mayotte became the answer to a trivia question when he won the first Standardbred race at Woodbine Racetrack with 4-year-old pacer Boastful on Jan. 1, 1994. A new trivia answer will be established Monday evening (April 9) when the final Standardbred race at Woodbine is complete. One list that can never be debated is based on numbers. Which driver and trainer won the most races at Woodbine Racetrack? Driver Randy Waples and trainer Kevin McMaster will go down as the all-time leaders for wins at Woodbine.