Eight drivers – one great night!

by Frank Salive, for Western Fair Raceway

London, ON — The excitement level of the stakes season over the next 12 weeks at Western Fair Raceway will be elevated to a new level on April 27 as the London track becomes the focus of the Ontario Title Night in the National Drivers 2007 Championship.

The tentative list of the competitors is a fine cross section of the province’s deep talent pool in the current driving colony. The top two finishers in London will go on to the Charlottetown Driving Park in August for the Canadian final, which will decide the nation’s representative to New Zealand this fall for the world competition. Already qualified from the West region competition are Scott Knight and Serge Masse in the Standardbred Canada initiative.

“We’re really excited in London about the chance to host this and it’ll really serve as an excellent start to the busiest stakes season here,” Western Fair’s Race Secretary and General Manager Ian Fleming told Jim Cressman of the London Free Press. “Among the eight drivers competing I’m not sure you could really name a favorite since almost all of them have raced here extensively and are very accomplished on their home circuits.”

The tentative list of drivers for the Ontario region final on Friday, April 27, and the track(s) they represent:

Trevor Henry (Grand River, Hanover, Clinton)
Brad Forward (Western Fair)
Al Cullen (Windsor, Dresden)
Gord Brown (Kawartha, Belleville)
Ted McDonald (Rideau Carleton)
Paul MacKenzie (Flamboro)
Gerry Belanger (Sudbury Downs)
Dan Clements (Georgian Downs)

Monday post time

As of April 9, Monday post time moves to 4:05 p.m. at Western Fair. The Tuesday afternoon post time at 4:05 p.m. and Friday night post time at 7:35 p.m. remain unchanged through the end of the current meet on June 29.

This charity auction is way over the top

At the official close of bidding for the Randy Waples driving suit last Friday, the final tally came in at US$2,250 — making it a C$2,589 donation to the Chase McEachern Tribute Fund of the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation’s defibrillator program.

Waples donated the custom ‘flames’ design driving suit at Western Fair on January 29, when the London track hosted a charity night to acquire a life saving defibrillator to serve horsepeople and the public. The original target goal was set at C$1,000 for the suit auction on the ebay site www.quikdropbarrie.com.

John McEachern, the father of Chase and an ORC Commission investigator, was on assignment in Ottawa on Friday night when he was informed of the auction result.

“I’m just amazed, shocked, and overjoyed that Randy’s generous donation more than doubled our predictions,” McEachern said. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised though in view of all the incredible examples of racing people and the public that have stepped up in the past year for Chase’s cause.”

After a frantic round of last minute bids in the final 15 minutes of the auction, the winner turned out to be Gord Freeman of New Jersey. He went by the moniker “Mr Gordy” during the auction.

With the success of the Waples driving suit auction, the Chase Fund Raiser has become a fixture on the ebay site with merchandise donations and bidding available for the initiative.

Quarterly report: earnings on record pace

When the numbers had settled from the first quarter of 2007 at Western Fair Raceway, more of the record setting trends for trainer and driver earnings started in 2006 were continuing.

Through the end of March, Western Fair’s leading driver Brad Forward had amassed over C$505,000 in purses on the strength of 75 wins. This puts Forward and Trevor Henry on an earnings pace to surpass 2006, when they became the first two reinsmen to surpass C$1 million in a single calendar year in the London track’s modern day history, dating to 1961.

Paul Taylor sits atop the trainer’s standings from the first quarter of 2007 on the strength of 23 wins from 87 starters for C$120,000 in purses. Taylor is the track’s two-time defending training titleist and accomplished the first million dollar earnings year from his stable in 2006.

Handicapping contest

Round 2 of the C$2,000 Tuesday handicapping contest is set for April 10 at Western Fair on Georgian Downs simulcasting. The top 20 contestants from the Tuesday preliminary legs in April qualify for the final on April 24. Western Fair’s Player Rewards Club members get triple points for wagering on Georgian Downs simulcasting through April and sign-up for the Player Rewards Club is free. A selection of Georgian Downs merchandise is also being awarded to the top three finishers from each preliminary leg of the contest.

Through June 29, post time at Western Fair each Monday and Tuesday afternoon is at 4:05 p.m., with Friday night cards turning to the gate at 7:35 p.m.

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