CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — The 2019 season is in the books but looking at the top trainers and drivers at tracks across the nation shows some familiar names.
The top dash-winning driver at the Truro Raceway in Nova Scotia was Tyne Valley resident Dale Spence with 44 wins, which will surely make him part of Team Nova Scotia in the Atlantic Regional Driving Championship to be held this coming season.
The Inverness Raceway in Nova Scotia had Winsloe’s Marc Campbell as the top-earning trainer with $18.916 in purses at track in Cape Breton.
Stratford native Patrick Shepherd had one of the top stables in Ontario again 2019 as he was top dash-winning trainer at Hanover Raceway (14 wins) and Georgian Downs (18 wins).
Older brother Robert Shepherd was top dash-winning driver at the summer meet at Grand River Raceway in Ontario with 38 victories. The pair dominated Flamboro Downs with Robert leading the track for wins (176) and purse earnings ($1,064,912) while Patrick was the top trainer with 62 wins.
Atlantic Scene
Awards season is coming up across Atlantic Canada as tracks across the region will honour the best of the 2019 season during the winter break.
The Truro Raceway Awards Banquet is set for Feb. 15 at the Best Western Glengarry in Truro, N.S., with a social at 5:30 p.m. and opening ceremony at 6:30 p.m. followed by a dance. Campbell, the leading Red Shores driver, is the guest speaker at the event. To purchase tickets at $25 call Kaitlyn Wesley at 1-902-977-0155 or email [email protected].
The Cape Breton Horse Owners awards banquet will be held Feb. 22 and Red Shores has a pair of representatives as the guest speakers. Marketing and brand manager Lee Drake and track announcer Vance Cameron will make the trek to Sydney, N.S., as the guests of honour that evening.
Across The Continent
Sunday at Flamboro Downs in Dundas, Ont., Glider Man was a winner in the preferred-3 trot with Charlottetown native Paul MacKenzie in the bike for trainer Randy Van Meer of Mount Herbert and owners Jennifer Doyle and Danny Birt of Vernon Bridge. Time of the mile was 1:58.4 for the new acquisition as the five-year-old Yankee Glide gelding boosted his lifetime earnings to $87,905.
P.E.I. Scene
My condolences to the family of Guy Cudmore on his recent passing. The 58-year-old Charlottetown resident was a former regular at Red Shores at the Charlottetown Driving Park, campaigning a stable of horses. His last win as a trainer was on May 17, 1997, as Len (Barney) MacGuigan guided Prime Plus Two to a 2:06.3 victory in the $525 dash over Power Of Gold (Kenny Arsenault) and Finale Concerto (Jody Hennessey).
Nicholas Oakes' column appears in The Guardian each Friday. He can be reached at [email protected].
