Newfoundland - The Eighth Wonder of the World

My recent trip across the water to St. Johns, Newfoundland was a blast. My cousin's wedding was nicely done and him losing, and astonishingly later finding, his wedding band in the Atlantic Ocean was a great twist to end my weekend visit to ‘The Rock’.

I just couldn’t shake the Harness Racing bug though - even through all of the celebration. I woke up early Saturday morning and took a drive out to Goulds just to see the St. Johns Racing and Entertainment Centre. Going into the journey I had low expectations about what the racetrack could offer but when I arrived, I was floored! A nicely designed grandstand and amazing racing surface sat nestled at the edge of a crystal blue lake and rolling lush green hills. It was truly a picturesque view. I couldn’t resist taking a few hundred shots of just the scenery itself – not including any horses. I’m pretty sure when the almighty gods made Newfoundland, they made photographers right after.

To my amusement, I struck some luck while waiting to get some pictures of horses jogging at the track. Just as I arrived in came Clifford Garland and his phenomenal P H Tornado. The horse looked better than ever and his trainer/driver Gord Flemming did a superb job getting him back to top form. It was also nice to hear he’s being pointed once again to the Gold Cup and Saucer this summer and from what his connections think of him, he should fit in there pretty well. "If he can go in (1:)57 or (1:)58 over here, he should easily pace in 1:52 or better over that track Old Home Week." With the likes of Carnivore, Outlawpositivcharg and fellow Penn Hills pacer P H Bestman, we might be in store for another great show.

Going to Newfoundland was an unforgettable experience and I can’t wait to go back. I did leave a little disappointed though because I still had one unanswered question I was still curious about. I wondered... Was P H Tornado officially ‘screeched in’ when he arrived in Newfoundland for the first time last year? I’m guessing he wasn’t, but I’ll leave that one alone until the next trip.