At the end of 2015, Kawartha Downs took the time to reflect on the year's racing season and all of the wonderful moments captured on Saturday nights throughout the summer.

Highlights of the season, in chronological order, were:

Gord Brown Night

The season got underway on May 30 with Gord Brown Night. Perennially the leading driver at Kawartha, Brown had achieved a milestone of 4,000 lifetime wins earlier in the year and the evening helped celebrate that achievement and his career to date. By the end of the 2015 season, Brown was once again at the top of the KD drivers’ leaderboard.

Celebration of the Horse

The beautiful Standardbred horse is celebrated every race night at Kawartha, but this night they were shown in a different fashion, being ridden in a race rather than driven. The Racing Under Saddle race was very popular with KD racing fans and was won by Massive Muscles, ridden by Sophie Engerran.

In addition to the RUS event, Grace Junkin brought a pair of miniature horses to the track to give fans an opportunity to see the tiny version of what KD considers the perfect animal.

Anniversary Night/Ontario Sires Stakes

Kawartha hosted its only OSS event, a Grassroots for three-year-old trotting colts with five divisions, in addition to celebrating the track’s 43rd anniversary this night. Kawartha were fortunate to have Carolyn and Lloyd Nugent at the track this evening to lead several of the post parades with two of their retired trotters they show at the Royal Winter Fair.

Local horseman Dagfin Henriksen set the tone winning the first OSS split with Tswalu. This was also the only opportunity this year for Kawartha fans to see Alfie Carroll in action. The driver, based in Southwestern Ontario, did not disappoint, winning half of the races on the 10-race card, including three of the OSS races. Carroll ended 2015 as the winningest driver in Canada.

Family Fun Night

The largest crowd of the 2015 season descended upon Kawartha Downs on the long weekend in August to celebrate Family Fun Night. The very popular Hands On Horses was on track giving many happy race goers a tour of the racetrack behind one of its magnificent Standardbred horses. The kids also enjoyed balloon animals, face painting, a bouncy castle and the kids activity room, which is open every race night with lots of fun games and activities for the youngsters as well as free drinks and snacks.

Inaugural Goodtimes Invitational

Kawartha Downs introduced the Goodtimes Invitational to honour the iconic trotter Goodtimes, who started and ended his incredible career at KD. A winner of more than $2 million in his career, Goodtimes is now a member of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. Posters, signed by the 24-year-old Goodtimes himself, were distributed that evening. Goodtimes’ owner and trainer John Bax, his driver Dave Wall and caretaker Julie Morrison Kangas were at the track and made the trophy presentation to the winner of the event, Rose Run Oriana.

Memorial Evenings

Two race nights, September 12 and 26, were dedicated to memorial evenings. Each race was named in honour of a much loved person or horse who made a contribution to Kawartha Downs. Those honoured were: Ruby Brown, Leona Wright, Ernie and Billie Brown, Doreen and Eric Brock, Ron Luke, Bruce Adams, Earl and Marjorie Shea and Marlene Hie, Ann and Tom Gratton, Mopey Corey, Ivan Johnson, Guy LaRush, Judy Brown, Brenna Leigh Seeley, Roger Hie, James McIntyre and John Fry, Billyjojimbob and Stan Brown.

San Pail Retirement

Kawartha Downs was extremely honoured to celebrate the career of the outstanding trotter San Pail, whose retirement from racing was announced earlier in 2015. Trained and co-owned by local horseman Rod Hughes, San Pail led the post parade for the race named in his honour and then stood patiently for several hours as race fans visited him in the backstretch. The Horse of the Year in Canada and the U.S. (a very rare feat) in 2011, winner of $3.1 million, will inevitably be enshrined in the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. “We end where we started,” said Hughes simply of the official retirement party for his superstar.

Appreciation Night

On Kawartha's final night of racing for 2015, the track had the opportunity to thank its fans, horse people and staff for another excellent season of racing. Lots of prize draws, giveaways for the kids and adults in addition to the exciting 2015 Kawartha Downs’ Drivers’ Challenge, a six-race contest won by Tony Kerwood.

Everyone at Kawartha extends sincere appreciation to all of their talented trainers and drivers, horse owners, loyal and new fans, hard working staff and, most importantly, the horses who put on the show, for another fantastic season of racing.

2016 Racing Season

Kawartha's tentative schedule for 2016 calls for racing to start on Saturday, May 28 and continue every Saturday through October 1 (excluding September 17). Post time is always 7 p.m.

(With files from Kawartha Downs)