Coming close to his track record for older pacers, P L Ozzy held on in a photo finish to win the $14,500 Preferred at Grand River Raceway on Friday, July 10.

After tracking in third through first-half fractions that went in :26.1 and :54.4, P L Ozzy, with Brady Galliers catch-driving, battled past popular pacesetter Snack Attack (Ed Hensley) to three-quarters in 1:22.1 then held off Mythic Gambler (Samuel Fillion) as that rival closed off his cover to make it a close call. P L Ozzy won by a head in 1:50.3, just one-fifth of a second off the track record for older pacers that he established last September in his Grand River debut. P L Oliver (Garrett Rooney) finished 1-1/2 lengths behind in third place off a pocket trip.

P L Ozzy, who won two of his three Grand River starts last year, paid $9.40 to win in his successful return as the 7-2 second choice on the tote board.

Amanda Riley trains the eight-year-old Sunshine Beach-Taylorlane Action stallion, who is four-for-10 this season for owners Bryn Campbell of Port Hope, Ont., and Barry McClennan of Cavan, Ont.

A 36-time career winner, P L Ozzy went over $400,000 in earnings.

Frankie C won the title of Top Dog at Grand River Raceway’s 2026 Wiener Dog Races presented by Dreamland Pet. Tammie took home the Dreamland Pet People’s Choice Award, voted on by the community.

Thirty dachshunds of varying breeds and ages paws-itively delighted the fans as they scurried towards, or away, from the finish line. Some pups crossed the finish line while others decided to cross it a few times with great dedication. The finalists earned their spots in the championship by finishing in the top three of three elimination heats. 

To view Friday's harness racing results, click the following link: Friday Results - Grand River Raceway.

(Standardbred Canada; with files from Grand River Raceway)