Since its inception in 1990, the Industry Day celebration at Grand River Raceway has been enthusiastically supported by the Ontario Harness Horse Association (OHHA).

In the early days, the organization hosted the Backstretch Olympic Games with such epic events as water-pail and bandage-rolling contests. More recently, OHHA hosted the Best In Show Awards, providing $500 in cash prizes to the caretakers of horses racing on the Industry Day card.

For the event’s 25th anniversary celebration on August 3, OHHA is tripling its caretaker rewards, providing $1,500 in total prizes — $100 to the top five in each of the following categories: Best Of Show Head-To-Toe; Horse & Groom; Above & Beyond (braids, sparkles, etc.).

“The caretakers of racehorses are some of the hardest working people in this business,” said driver and OHHA Director Jody Jamieson. “Their contributions are so vast and so ingrained into the culture of the sport. During an event like this — a 25th anniversary celebration of harness racing — we should ensure the caretakers get the recognition they deserve.”

Judges for the Best In Show will circulate throughout the paddock on Industry Day. The winners will be announced on the track’s website later that evening.

Post time for Industry Day on August 3 is 1:30 p.m. Festivities and the broadcast kick-off at 1:00 p.m. Complete event details are available at IndustryDayCelebration.com. The event hashtag is #industryday25

(Grand River Raceway)