Rideau Carleton Raceway and the National Capital Region Harness Horse Association (NCRHHA) have announced the return of the Coville Cup, starting Sunday, Oct. 10.
Last held in 2013, the 10-week series is designed to showcase Rideau Carleton Raceway's next generation of talented drivers and will culminate with the finalists competing in the $20,000 Brian Jerome Memorial.
In the spirit of the previous years this event was hosted, each participating driver will have a unique opportunity to raise their level of competition thus contributing to maintaining a healthy and broad-based racing community in the region.
The series is named after Rideau Carleton Raceway’s Hall of Fame, winningest driver Darrell Coville. The Coville Cup ran from 2008 to 2013 and featured previous champions Johnathan Lachance, Travis Henry and Clarke Steacy.
Each Sunday, two dedicated races on the card will have the horses assigned a driver from a group that has been nominated for the series. The assignments will be conducted via a random draw during Thursday’s live broadcast.
This year’s nominated drivers include: 1. Sebastien Turenne; 2. Mike Armstrong; 3. Norm Beaudoin; 4. Darcy Clancy; 5. Carl Duguay; 6. Mike Healey; 7. Benoit Hebert; 8. Dan Laflamme; 9. Claude Larose; 10. Gord Ley; 11. Josh Miller; 12. Phil Reid; 13. William Roy; 14. Drew Smyth; 15. Daniel St. Pierre; 16. Brian Scott; 17. Philippe Trudeau; 18. Anne Marie Turenne; 19. Jessica Turenne; 20. Andrew Moore.
Each leg of the series will have $3,000 added to the standard purse for that class. The drivers that accumulate the most points over the course of the series will be eligible to compete in the final. A schedule for the races designated as part of the Coville Cup will be available on Rideau's website and NCRHHA’s Facebook page.
NCRHHA director John MacMillan has been a driving force behind the revival of this event. The Coville Cup was an important milestone in recognizing the rich Rideau-NCRHHA racing history. The final, named in honour of the late Brian Jerome, is a fitting tribute to one of the NCRHHA’s founders, who was a longtime contributor to the racing community and a Standardbred racing enthusiast to the end of his days.
Post time for Sunday's program is 6:30 p.m. The driver assignments for the first leg of the Coville Cup will be broadcast during Rideau's live harness racing card on Thursday, Oct. 7.
(With files from Rideau Carleton Raceway)