In this week's Rewind Robert Smith pays a further tribute to Jack Kopas, the great horseman who recently passed away at the age of 88. His piece is based on a reminiscence of a memorable race held at London's Western Fair Raceway just over 40 years ago. It was a unique event in several ways.

The star studded lineup for the special "Benefit Pace" race held at London on April 9,1977. All six starters were from the stable of Jack Kopas.

Our sport recently lost a valued member with the passing of Jack Kopas. Although retired from active participation for many years, his presence was still felt in all sectors of racing and he continued to closely follow the sport he so dearly loved. I was privileged to have a lengthy conversation with him just last fall as I penned a special Rewind to commemorate his 88th birthday which occurred on October 16, 2016. The accolades that followed that as well as the many contributed by his friends and colleagues at the time of his passing speak volumes about this gentleman. He was indeed a man who "did it all".

The lengthy and distinguished career of Jack Kopas is the story of a lifetime of diligence, hard work, commitment and excellence. For decades Jack trained large numbers of young horses; he had serious input in their budding careers from the time they entered his stable until they first set foot on the track. He also often had a sixth sense in his timing and scheduling. His hands-on approach regularly yielded success.

Although Jack's career was filled with accolades, recaps of huge races won and world class performers developed under his care, today's Rewind recollection is oddly about a race that carried no purse for the contestants and offered no pari-mutuel wagering. However it did have a very famous winning driver.

On the afternoon of Saturday, April 9, 1977, a much larger than usual crowd filed into the stands at London's Western Fair Raceway. The attendance that day is remembered as the second largest in the track's two decade history since the introduction of night racing in May of 1961. This bit of trivia was given to me by Jack himself. What was the attraction and why the interest?

At this time Jack Kopas and his cast of capable assistants were training a very select group of performers who were all primed and ready for the upcoming 1977 season. Their schedules would carry them to many points across both Canada and the U.S. but at this time they were all at their winter base at the London oval. Through the cooperative efforts of several folks within the London management as well as some willing sponsors, a special race was arranged with Jack. It took on a rather unusual twist in that it was a Qualifying race, but not exactly your ordinary qualifier that is usually held in the morning with no audience. It was listed on the program as an "Exhibition Qualifying Pace."

The field was made up of six high-quality horses, headlined by the three-year-old sensation Jade Prince, then the sport's fastest record performer. His two-year-old record of 1:54.1 taken at Lexington and season's earnings of $105,612 charted new territory in the world of colt racing. Of the six starters only Armbro Rally had a charted line in 1977 and that was a fifth-place finish just one week prior to this day. The purse was made up from contributions from several sources. Western Fair contributed $1,000, $500 came from London Associated Travelers and $370 from the London Oktoberfest Committee. All of the proceeds were given to the London District Crippled Children's Treatment Centre.

Jade Prince (1) reaches the wire a winner for driver Jack Kopas edging out Adam Lobell (5) driven by Robin Murphy who finished second and Nat Lobell (John Kopas) third in an exhibition qualifying race held at London. The distinctive striped matching helmets of Jack and son John and the maple leaf on their sleeves are quite visible as they reach the wire.

The race itself was a keenly contested affair with Jade Prince the winner by a short margin with Jack Kopas in the sulky. The fractions were :33.3; 1:02.3; 1:33.1 and a 30 second final quarter ending the mile in 2:03.1 . Finishing second was Adam Lobell with trainer Robin Murphy in the bike, third was Nat Lobell with young John Kopas up, fourth went to Trent Lobell handled by Dale Dufty, fifth place belonged to Armbro Rally driven by Ken McElroy (Jack's brother in law who died in 2012) and the sixth and final spot went to Super Clint driven by long-time friend of the Kopas family, Harold McKinley.

A small note at the bottom of the program stated "Expected Winner - The London District Crippled Children's Treatment Centre."

Race lineup

This race was a great idea and benefited an extremely worthwhile cause. It also showed a very caring side of Jack Kopas.

Order of finish