by Greg Blanchard, Assistant Raceway Manager, Western Fair Raceway

London, ON — “She is basically a part of the family and is spoiled rotten,” noted Gord Young of Sammy Syd who will tackle some of the best pacing mares in North America in Saturday night’s (Oct. 30) C$167,000 Forest City Pace Final at Western Fair.

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Sammy Syd has 24 lifetime wins and a career bankroll of $219,556.

“We’ve been lucky to have her and have turned down some pretty good offers for her. We want to keep her and eventually breed her ourselves,” said Young, who shares ownership of the mare with his wife Jean who handles the training. Sammy Syd is their only horse.

The London, Ontario-based couple are retired, he from 33 years at London Life and she from the pathology department of London Heath Care Services. Jean’s harness racing ties include going to school with the sport’s most celebrated driver, John Campbell, with whom she remains friends.

They first met Sammy Syd at the 2005 Forest City Sale. The Youngs had gone to the auction looking for a trotting colt but when they hadn’t found one by the third day of the sale they ended up bringing Sammy Syd home for $15,000. Gord had watched the filly being inspected over the course of the sale several times and had thought she’d bring about $45,000. She would have been a bargain even at that price it turns out.

She’s never been a flashy performer but rather one of those consistent horses who rarely misses a check when she races. She took a record of 1:51.1 at Mohawk last year and has $219,556 showing on her card lifetime with an affinity for Western Fair.

The now 6-year-old daughter of Astreos has made 124 lifetime starts with many of those coming at her home track of Western Fair. She has six wins this year, five of which came in the Mares Preferred, the highest class for females at Western Fair, so she’s quite familiar and comfortable on the half-mile track. Her other victory was on the toughest circuit in Canada, the Woodbine Entertainment Group.

On Saturday night she’ll face some of the best pacing mares in North America in elimination winners Dreamfair Eternal and Voelz Hanover and recent Mohawk track record holder A Ps Money Maker.

“It is just great to be in a race like this with horses of this caliber. I wish we’d have been in this race last year; she actually paced faster here the next week than the Forest City Final went in. I’m not sure if she’s tight enough to really go with these mares just yet this year but we hope she races well,” said Young.

Sammy Syd will leave from post two Saturday night with Mike Whelan at the lines. Program pages as well as live coverage of the entire program are available on the Western Fair website at www.westernfair.com.

The first 500 fans with a program coupon will receive a free hat and those arriving between 6 and 7 p.m. will have the chance to meet TSN anchor Jennifer Hedger.