When asked, many would say their most cherished racing memory came in the form of a major racing win. For one special woman, it was meeting her favourite racing champion while she valiantly fought her own battle with cancer.

Congratulations to Garnet Barnsdale, the winner of the I Love Canadian Harness Racing Fan Club’s Racing Memories contest. Garnet’s submission told the story of taking his sister, Linda, a devout fan of trotting champion San Pail, to meet ‘Pail’ at the Hughes farm. That visit was her last day out of the hospital, as she passed away 13 days later.

"'Where we are going...does it have seven letters?' she whispered. I didn’t speak and only nodded affirmatively. Immediately her tears flowed and she nodded back knowingly as I struggled to stifle my own tears so I could see to drive'."

Garnet’s story brought tears to the eyes of readers and highlighted the incredible bond between human and horse, even from a distance. His full entry can be found here.

Thank you to all of those who submitted their stories, as well as the other finalists Jody Jamieson, Linda Rainey, Christina Gillis and Brenda Campbell for sharing their memories.

'Show Us Your Racing Swag!' Contest Reminder

In 250 words or less, tell us about your favourite racing hat or shirt. It could be one you own, one you wear, or maybe it’s one you’ve seen and haven’t gotten your hands on it yet. Take a photo of your fave hat / shirt (or better yet, you wearing it) and give us a brief explanation as to why it’s your favourite and where, when and how you got it.

The winner will receive a mini collection of some of racing’s finest hats and swag including: the I Love Canadian Harness Racing’s new Nike Golf hat and $50 worth of swag from the Fan Club store.

Send your entries to [email protected]! Deadline for submissions is July 24.

July Zoom Challenge Reminder

We’re looking for photos that depict you and your friends trackside during the Bring A Friend promotion. It could be a shot of your friend placing their first bet, cheering on a horse or taking part in the various activities hosted at the tracks. It can be a shot of anything that captures the exciting four-day event in Canadian harness racing.

Submit your entries by July 27 to [email protected]! A committee will select a handful of the best entries, which will be included in a poll on SC’s website. The club will also post the entries on its Facebook page. Readers will then have the chance to vote for the photo they like the best.

The monthly winner will receive a great Fan Club Swag Prize package ($50 value) and the six monthly winners will be eligible to win a Grand Prize, which will include a $50 gift card to the racetrack of their choice and an enlargement of their winning photo framed or plaque mounted.