Veteran pacer Lil Dude Starrbuck was honoured on Friday night at Fraser Downs with a special retirement ceremony in the winner's circle after the fifth race.
The 12-year-old paraded in front of the grandstand and stopped by the winner's circle for the final time in his career in a ceremony following the race, which was named the Lil Dude Starrbuck Retirement Pace.
Following Lil Dude Starrbuck's 50th career win in the Open on March 10, owner Jerry Renkers of Lil Dude Ranch announced that the son of Threefold will begin his new career as a stallion and will stand at Doc Hewlett's farm near Carstairs, Alberta.
On track, the special pacer provided his connections, including the late Sharon Renkers, with a decade of thrills.
"There was no one louder when this horse was coming down the stretch in the grandstand than Sharon," said track announcer Dan Jukich in a recent Fraser Downs Live podcast. "She just fell in love with her horses."
Lil Dude Starrbuck retires with a career record reading 50-25-21 in 213 starts and $710,245 in purse earnings. The 2004 Silver Bucket and Western Canada Pacing Derby champion went on to take a mark of 1:49.3 at Woodbine Racetrack as a four-year-old and race at tracks across North America. Lil Dude Starrbuck established Fraser Downs' track record of 1:50.4 in September 2009 and ended his racing career back in his home province of British Columbia with a pair of wins at the Open level.