The Ontario Harness Racing Youth Camps for 2010 came to their conclusion last Friday night at Grand River

Raceway.

Twelve-year-old Rachel Chalkey and 11-year-old Robynne Smith were victorious in their respective exhibition races with the help of drivers Anthony Haughan and Bruce Richardson.

During the summer, nine camps were conducted and 72 children between the ages of 10 and 13 were given the opportunity to attend the free, four-day camps.

The youth camps are funded through the Standardbred Revenue Allocation (SRA) marketing money administered by the Ontario Harness Horse Association. The youth camp resources are also used for other initiatives such as open houses and staff training at racetracks as well as the popular So You Think You Can Drive program, where randomly selected fans are given the opportunity to drive a standardbred race horse between races.

Now in their eighth year, the Ontario Horse Racing Youth Camps have introduced close to 600 children and their families to the sport of harness horse racing. Many of the past camp participants are still actively involved in the industry and are eager to volunteer their help when the camp comes to their home racetrack.

The Ontario Harness Horse Association thanks all volunteers and racetrack staff who assisted in making these camps such memorable events for the children and our special thanks go to camp coordinator Liz Waples, instructor Natasha Lyon, and caretaker Stacey Reinsma, for their proven commitment and dedication.

(OHHA)