In this week's edition of Rewind, Robert Smith takes a trip back to 1972 and recalls a rare night off for an otherwise very active horseman. His story recalls how Jack Kopas took a short hiatus from his regular driving schedule and handed the reins of one of his top-performing horses to another driver.

Jack Kopas is shown with Nat Lobell, one of the many excellent horses he had in his stable and raced with great success.

Back in late 1972, noted horseman and future Hall of Famer Jack Kopas took a short pause from his normally busy routine of driving all of his own horses. He didn't stay home or avoid a trip to the racetrack, but he did position himself in an unusual spot. On the evening of Saturday, Dec. 2, he and his wife Alice were perched high above the racetrack at Windsor Raceway. They were seated in the warmth and comfort of the Windsor clubhouse.

Kopas told a Windsor Star reporter, "It's fun being an owner and sitting in the clubhouse and watching somebody else drive your horse to a big win." This was said right after his horse, Key Ones Uno, had just won the final of the $13,250 Philip Brian Series with local favourite Greg Wright handling the reins at Windsor Raceway.

"He's had a great year, and this win means that he has won over half of his 1972 starts," stated a happy Kopas. "He's won 20 of his 39 starts." 

Already thinking ahead, Kopas was planning to give his horse a bit of a rest. "He'll be off for a while and then back in training in hopes of starting in Windsor's Provincial Cup next March," he said.

Jack also added what his upcoming plans for a driver would likely be if he was in the Cup. "He's handled him beautifully [Wright], and I hope we can score again in March." The decision to have Wright handle the driving duties had paid off handsomely, as the new "combo" combined for three straight series wins.

Key Ones Uno and driver Greg Wright are shown in the winner's circle after winning the second leg of the Philip Brian Series. They are joined by Director of Racing Joe DeFrank (far left) and his assistant Jim Learmouth. They went on to win the third and final leg of the Philip Brian Series one week later. Key Ones Uno was owned and trained by Jack Kopas of Ilderton, Ont.

The win in the Philip Brian final was much like the previous week's victory. Key Ones Uno was off the pace in the fourth spot heading into the stretch behind Springfield, Baron Gerard and Merrywood King. Wright took him to the far outside and closed quickly to gain the win by 1-1/4 lengths over Don Larkin and Merrywood King, with Springfield (Ken Hardy) taking the show spot.

With a winning time of 2:03.3, Key Ones Uno went off as the people's choice at odds of 6-5. His $6,625 share of the purse raised his season's total to $75,672, and his lifetime earnings to a shade under $90,000. To say that this was a bargain horse was certainly a bit of an understatement!

Jack Kopas had secured this horse in a rather unusual manner. The breeder, Melvin Richman of Delvin, Ind., had gifted the horse to Kopas a couple of years earlier. This gentleman was in attendance for that evening's race and spoke with a local sportswriter about how the transaction had taken place.

"Some of my friends call me crazy for giving the colt away," he said. "I only had a $1,000 mare, that's what she would have brought at a sale. But now look what I've got, a broodmare with a real reputation." 

He went on to say that the mare Key One had a weanling by Painter and was currently in foal to Shadow Wave. Also, with the year Key Ones Uno had just enjoyed, it all further enhanced the mare's value.

Oddly, as Mr. Richman further disclosed, he had not known Kopas personally but had seen him drive in a few races. He also knew that Jack had another horse named Express G by the same sire, Adios Express, which influenced his decision to contact him. He wanted Kopas to get the "gift" colt a three-year-old mark of 2:02 or better to seal the deal. This was achieved when he recorded a clocking of 2:00.1 the previous year.

All in all, it was a great evening for the Kopas stable and indeed for his "chosen" driver. Almost lost in the excitement was the fact that Greg Wright had his most productive evening of the Windsor fall session. He collected four wins on the Saturday night card, his first "four bagger" of the fall meeting. In addition to the feature win, he clicked with Duncravin Drummer, Pacific Frost and Danny Supreme.

When Jack Kopas passed away at the age of 88 in April 2017, the sport of harness racing lost one of its most esteemed members.

Jack Kopas and the great Super Wave share a moment together. Originally purchased for $5,000, he went on to win almost $500,000 for London, Ont., owner Dr. George Boyce, DVM. (USTA photo)

Quote For The Week: "My imagination won't turn off. I wake up so excited I can't eat breakfast. I've never run out of energy." –Steven Spielberg

Who Is It?

Can you identify this fine gentleman who left us very recently?

Where Is It?

Can you tell us where this very nice-looking barn is located? It was built by a harness racing family to house their horses and provide other accommodations. It looks like they knew a bit about the building business.

(The correct answers will be posted here by Robert as a comment in a few days.)