The draw for the Western Regional Driving Championship is complete and eight top reinsmen are set to battle for the regional title on Saturday, Dec. 13 at Fraser Downs in Surrey, B.C.
Eight of the 11 races on the card will see drivers Keith Clark, Kelly Hoerdt, Gerry Hudon, Darryl Mason, Glenn LeDrew, Bill Davis, Scott Knight and Jim Marino line up behind the gate.
The top two point earners will advance to the National Driving Championship and battle head to head with the winning drivers from the Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Regionals in March 2009. The winner of the National Driving Championship will represent Canada in the 2009 World Driving Championship from May 14 through 20 in Norway.
Races 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 are the designated challenges on Saturday afternoon.
First post it set for 1:15 p.m.
To view Saturday’s entries, click here.
Billy Davis didn't
Billy Davis didn't win.....but as 2nd place finisher, he is going to the National Drivers Challenge. It will be interesting to see how it goes with or without his own horses! Good job Kelly!
They should of done like the
They should of done like the quebec championship, where they could still enter their horses, but didnt mean they would be driving them
Well, after all the "neigh"
Well, after all the "neigh" saying against Davis ... guess what ??? Alberta's own Kelly Hoerdt ended up the winner. Way to go Kelly !!
No one is questioning
No one is questioning Davis's ability to drive a horse, anyone who follows the sport east of Ontario knows this guy is the real deal. The problem is in the west the trainer/driver combination is still the norm which truly gives these guys a clear advantage over the others. Post positions weren't allowed to be alloted equally because of the amount of competing drivers horses entered which makes the whole event a joke. The race secretary dropped the ball on this one BIG TIME! The condition sheet could have been modified to create a fair competition. Davis would have still been favored to advance to the finals given his talents. No jealousy here... just a demand for fairness in competition.
yeah?.... but a horse who is
yeah?.... but a horse who is a favorite with still have the added advantage of winning or coming closer from whatever the post because they are still the best horse in the race and Davis has a couple of his own "hot" favorites entered to drive and that should be enough to take it!! that is the advantage....this is more than the luck of the draw!!....this was NOT handled right by the Fraser Downs race secretary but says only now that it will be a different set of rules in the national finals.........it's too late for the western regionals...
You guys are talking like
You guys are talking like Davis is going to runaway with this....NOT!!!!
Did you check his post positions....2 8 holes; 7 hole, 6 hole, 5 hole aren't going to help the cause.
I think there is a bit of ENVY here!! After all he has been the leading driver there for how many years?? Give the guy a little respect!!
it's a fact that Davis has
it's a fact that Davis has the winningest barn at Fraser Downs with most of his horses being favorites in all racing classes....... so to allow driver/ trainer entries in the western challenge such as his is quite unfair to the other challenge drivers since most of his are favorites or near favorites; one driver is driving 4 long shots compared to Davis's one......what now? redraw? to make it a true driving challenge all same driver/trainer entries should scratched and alternates drawn in.... there are other races and times where a driver/trainer can race his horses.......let's be realistic, this will not be a challenge but a coronation!
This draw is ridiculous!!
This draw is ridiculous!! Bill Davis' horses should not be entered in the championship as well as Knight if hes on his own horses. There are 8 drivers and 8 races. Every driver should be favoured in one race and longest on the board in one race etc. This is pretty simple to do. Once again they favour the "BIG BOYS"
In the maritime regional
In the maritime regional qualifier you werent allowed to drive your own horse in the challenge. Jason Hughes, Kenny Arasenault and Marc Campbell were not allowed to race a horse that they were listed as trainer on in the driving events....only fair way to do it really....in Ch'town Hughes is the top trainer for the year and Arsenault and
Campbell have very good stables as well, probably close to the top of the standings....unfair to the horse maybe because they miss a start but it made the driving championship a true driving championship. I thought that was the standard for these events everywhere but that must not be the case
This Driver's Challenge
This Driver's Challenge makes Standbred Canada look bad. Hmmm.... something isn't right here. In a Driver's Challenge, all drivers should drive horses that are the pick of the draw and no horse trained/owned by a Driver in the Challenge, should be entered in that particular race. I would suggest all Drivers for the finals, need a whip, helmut, colours, & their own stable of horses!!!!
Davis is not the only one
Davis is not the only one driving his own horses...there are other drivers driving there own also!!!
The results aren't even in and you guys are whining already....by the way did you notice Davis wasn't quite so lucky on the posts!!
Give the guy a break and wait and see...besides are you saying he doesn't have the ability to win if it wasn't for his own horses...BOYS HE CAN DRIVE A HORSE WITH THE BEST OF THEM!!! He didn't get the Obrien Award for showing up!!!
In reply to Davis is not the only one by Anonymous (not verified)
If he can drive a horse with
If he can drive a horse with the best of them, why didn't he choose to prove it! Hats off to Jim Marino, the only B.C. driver who chose to respect the rules of the competition, and enter his horses in Friday and Sunday draws. He was rewarded for this by probably receiving the worst post positions of all the drivers.
I agree with Murray the only
I agree with Murray the only way to have a true drivers challenge is not to have the drivers drive their own. Seems to me it can't be that tough to enter their horses on the other race days, and not in the driver challenge. It hasn't been a problem in any of the other Regional Challenges I've noticed. It makes me wonder if you can't follow the rules of the National Driving Challenge for the Regional Final, how are you going to hoist the National Drivers Challenge?
In reply to I agree with Murray the only by Anonymous (not verified)
Scott Knight entered 6
Scott Knight entered 6 horses from his own barn and Bill Davis entered 5 into the drivers challenge races. The race secretary has stated that if any BC'er makes the finals they will not be allowed to enter their horses on that day. Why that rule wasn't applied to Saturday as well is beyond me.
There is a nasty virus going through the Fraser Downs backstretch at the moment hampering the entry box, but these trainers knew ahead of time they could benefit from the draw by entering horses from their own barn. Truly this is unfair to the outsiders and the whole process needs to be rethought. The same thing happened at last years regionals as well. My gut feeling is that they want at least one local guy in the finals so they can promote it.
By rule Davis has to drive
By rule Davis has to drive the ones he trains. You cannot have him driving against a horse from his own barn in a pari-mutuel race.
The only way to have a true drivers challenge is to not have any drivers drive their own but of course you cannot tell owners or trainers that they cannot enter their horses!
How come Davis gets all the
How come Davis gets all the favorites or near favorites? and Mason for one gets most long shots!
Is there "horseshoes" involved here or what? Davis should be made to drive other horses than the ones he trains!
In reply to How come Davis gets all the by Anonymous (not verified)
Looking at the entries I
Looking at the entries I would have to agree. The whole thing needs to be redrawn!