It was a year of many moments at Fraser Downs Racetrack & Casino, and also a year when the harness racing fraternity said goodbye to two of its greatest friends

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The industry was saddened nationally with the passing of Robert Murphy on February 8, 2010 at the age of 77. Mr. Murphy’s horses raced under the Red Star banner and earned more than $105 million in purses over two decades. He and his wife of 58 years, Mary, were honoured by the B.C. Standardbred Breeders Society in 2008 with the renaming of the BC Breeders Stakes for three-year-olds.

Fraser Downs hosted Robert Murphy Night on June 11 and dedicated a private meeting room in his name located off the Atrium in the main entrance to the racetrack. The Murphy family donated a beautiful framed portrait of the popular breeder and trainer to hang permanently in the Robert Murphy Room.

“Bob never liked publicity,” Mary Murphy said on her husband’s special night, “but I know how much this would have meant to him. He would have been thrilled.”

Another industry icon who left us was noted owner Niele Jiwan. He passed away in December, 2009 at the age of 48. Mr. Jiwan, whose family moved to Canada from Africa in 1971, parlayed a lucrative real estate business into owning and racing horses at Fraser Downs, Alberta, Ontario and New York.

O’Brien Award winner Chancey Lady was Jiwan’s claim to fame, as well as BC Breeders Classic champion Garden Gale Tina and open pacer Duca.

On a much more pleasant note, Casie Coleman’s homecoming on November 11, 2009 – fittingly Remembrance Day - was a huge success. The Surrey native hadn’t returned to her Fraser Downs roots in nine years and fans turned out in droves as she supported a fund-raiser for the Burn Unit at Victoria’s Royal Jubilee Hospital .

Casie credits the staff at Royal Jubilee for saving her life when she suffered severe burns to her body in a barn accident at Sandown Park 10 years ago. A silent auction and personal donations resulted in Casie presenting the Royal Jubilee Hospital with a cheque in the amount of $24,488.

Casie’s presence at Fraser Downs resulted in two of Canada ’s premier drivers joining the fund-raiser: Mark MacDonald and Rick Zeron. Both of them donated their driving winnings that day to the charity.

Another bright light of the 2009-2010 Fraser Downs season was the Harness of Hope evening on Saturday, March 27. Highlighted by a special non-betting race involving seven lady drivers, the annual event dedicated to Breast Cancer Research raised $10,000 through a Blackjack Tournament, silent auction and various donations that included many of the drivers donating their driving fees from the night.

“We are absolutely thrilled with the support of the standardbred racing industry,” Harness of Hope director Debi Rumley said. “We truly value our relationship with all of the people involved at Fraser Downs and look forward to many successful fund-raising events in the future.”

For the record, let it be noted that the charming Amber Lancaster drove Cheyenne Dusk to victory in the special ladies race that included volunteer drivers with various harness racing backgrounds at Fraser Downs.

The season ended at Fraser Downs on Saturday, June 19 with Fan Appreciation Night taking on an Academy Awards theme, red carpet and all. Drivers dressed in their racing colours did a meet-and-greet with fans in the main lobby prior to the final race card of the season.

As things developed, the leading driver, who was also the leading trainer, wasn’t on hand for the finale. Ed Hensley had packed up his harness tack and headed off to race in Indiana for the summer before the end of the Fraser Downs season.

He left with 159 driving wins and 118 wins as a trainer, both far and above his nearest rivals in both categories.

Fraser Downs General Manager Chuck Keeling refers to the current state of harness racing as “challenging” but also believes the industry will get stronger in the years ahead.

(Fraser Downs)