What’s the best handicapping tool a harness racing fan can have? How about advice from the driver who has won more races at their track than anyone else? That’s exactly what Kawartha Downs race fans will be fortunate to have this upcoming racing season when Gord Brown joins the KD team as the track’s expert analyst.

Brown won close to 30 driving titles at eastern Ontario racetracks and dominated the drivers’ colony at Kawartha during his long and successful career. Last November he announced his retirement from driving horses. “I decided it was time, it’s a young man’s game. I wanted to retire when I’m healthy and able to enjoy other things in life,” noted Brown, whose stats upon retirement showed 4,231 wins and more than $20 million in purses won. “I’ve been very fortunate to say that at the end of the day I worked at a job I loved.”

As the 2017 racing season gets underway at Kawartha on Saturday, May 27, Brown won’t find himself in his usual position behind a horse, now he’ll be behind a microphone.

Every race night, Brown and Kawartha’s announcer, Evan Loucks, will host a pre-race show providing fans at the track and across North America via live streaming, with their analysis and top selections for the evening’s race card.

Gord Brown (Claus Andersen)

The show will also feature an ‘Ask Gord’ segment where Brown will answer questions submitted via social media throughout the week. That premise will continue during the race night as Brown will be available on the main floor as a resource for anyone who has a question about betting, the program, a particular horse, etc.

And that’s not all. Every race night fans can enter the ‘Gord’s Guests’ contest. A winner will be drawn after the seventh race and be given a personal tour of the backstretch area where the horses get ready to race with Brown as their guide.

“We are absolutely thrilled Gord has agreed to be our analyst,” said Kawartha’s Director of Marketing Heather MacKay. “He has a great passion for racing and incredible knowledge of Kawartha Downs on and off the racetrack. We have many newcomers to racing who have a myriad of questions and I can’t think of anyone better equipped to answer than Gord Brown.”

“I have always considered Kawartha Downs my home track, this is where we came when we were kids,” noted Brown, whose father, the late Stan Brown, was a well respected horseman and guided Gord’s early years. “Taking on this new role at Kawartha is my way of giving back for all of the wonderful years I enjoyed racing there.”

Kawartha’s 2017 season will begin on May 27 and will continue every Saturday night through September 30 (except September 16) with a 7 p.m. start. Opening night’s festivities include a free poster giveaway celebrating Brown’s career in the sulky.

(Kawartha Downs)