by Kawartha Downs

Fraserville, ON — It was a night of tears and laughter at Kawartha Downs Saturday (Aug. 27) as nine of the 10 races on the card were Memorial races dedicated to horses and people who had an impact on the Standardbred racetrack, but are no longer with us.

Saturday we paid tribute to noted horsemen Wayne Dowson, Roger Hie, Ivan Johnson, John Fry, long time Kawartha Downs’ employees Tom Curtin and Mary Henderson, well known farrier Tom Grattan and his wife Ann and young Brenna Seeley, who was a caretaker and worked in the telephoto department. She was killed in a car accident six years ago at the age of 24.

We also celebrated the late world champion trotter Billyjojimbob, who began his hall of fame career at the Fraserville oval. His owner, Lori Ferguson, is part of the Kawartha Downs’ team.

Our next memorial night will be on Saturday (Sept. 10). Next Saturday (Sept. 3,) will be the richest night of racing remaining on our 2016 season. We’ll feature our signature race, The Goodtimes Invitational, as well as the Shorelines Drivers Challenge, featuring the top nine drivers this year at Kawartha, and the OLG Pace. Post time is 7 p.m. EST.