One of 2009's brightest stars from the Ontario Sires Stakes program, pacing horse Fast Pay passed away this morning after a tragic stall accident
. He was found cast in his stall.
"He was probably my all-time favourite horse," an audibly shaken Dave Menary told Trot Insider. "He was one of the best ones, and we had so many good times with him."
Fast Pay banked over $424,000 in 32 starts at 2 and 3 for trainer Menary and owners Larry Menary, Denis Breton, Phil Silvestri and Joseph Settimi. The Western Hanover - Speedy Shopper colt showed serious talent by winning the 2008 OSS Grassroots final at 2, then won three OSS Gold finals in 2009, all over different track sizes. His first was a 1:53 score at Rideau Carleton, the next was an all-time OSS record of 1:49 at Mohawk Racetack, followed up by a 1:54.4 score at the Grand River half-miler.
Menary fondly recalls that he hand-picked Fast Pay as a yearling from the Forest City Sale - "one of the three I most wanted from there." He collared the Kentuckiana Farms-bred for $38,000.
"He's one of those once in a lifetime horses," continued Menary, "especially for my Dad who's been in harness racing for 40-plus years. I'm glad he had a horse of that calibre."
Plans for Fast Pay were to return to the track at 4 and compete with the Free For All class of 2010.
"He was enjoying his time turned out. Our plans were to go to the Levy Series at Yonkers and hopefully into Ronnie Burke's barn for that series. Fast Pay was so much better from two to three, we hoped and thought he'd show that same improvement from three to four with the right amount of time off."
Despite losing a horse with such potential, Menary was able to look back at the 2009 campaign and remember the good times.
"The horse had such a great following. I think there were close to 200 people there at Woodbine for Super Final night. He was like a member of the family."
Please join SC in offering condolences to the connections of Fast Pay.
To Dave Menary and all the
To Dave Menary and all the co-owners, especially Phil Silvestri, we would like to express our sincerest condolences on the loss of a fine horse that brought a new
dimension of excitement to our visits to the track.
Phil got us hooked on Fast Pay during conversation on a trip to 'the Jug' last year and he suggested that we should be at Woodbine for Fast Pay's next race which he
won to the noisy pleasure of the big crowd. The honour of being included in and having a copy of the winners photo now provides us with a permanent memory of a special moment provided by a great horse.
Tony & Sally Taylor.
Glen Williams, Ont
We are very sorry to hear
We are very sorry to hear this Phil. It gave us a lot of enjoyment watching him race.
My heart goes out to David,
My heart goes out to David, Larry and all of Fast Pay's connections. I lived vicariously through you every time I saw the Fast Pay entourage enter the winners circle and was looking forward to his battles this year. We will all miss him.
Darryl MacArthur
Dave Sorry to hear of your
Dave
Sorry to hear of your tragic loss. I know of the joy these animals can bring into our lives. My condolences to you and everyone connected, from the FB RACING team.
Michael Guerriero
FB RACING
My deepest condolences go
My deepest condolences go out to everyone associated with Fast Pay. He was a dynamic performer who was a pleasure to watch on the track.
Sincerely,
Ken Middleton
In all of my travels this
In all of my travels this year, no group had more fun campaigning a stakes horse than Team Menary did with Fast Pay. I distinctly remember his August 10 win in the Gold Final at Mohawk. The stake was to have been conducted on a Sunday night, but the races were cancelled due to a severe storm and the $130,000 final was moved to the next evening prior to the races. Of the 50 people assembled on the tarmac to watch the race, 49 of them must have been from the Fast Pay camp. As he brushed past his rivals in the final strides, you'd have thought the grandstand was filled with fans. I've seldom heard such noise at a horse race - and never at a race conducted an hour before post time!
My sincerest sympathies to Dave, Larry and the rest of the crew. He was a wonderful animal and it's clear that he brought imeasurable joy to your lives.
Chris Roberts
From all of us at Harness
From all of us at Harness Racing Canada we send our condolences for your loss. As previous trainers for our group we know how hard you guys work and to see such a tragic accident take the life of one of your own saddens us deeply.
Please send our thoughts to everyone involved with Fast Pay.
Paul Garofalo
Harness Racing Canada Inc.
to all connections, sorry
to all connections, sorry about your loss
Really sorry to hear of your
Really sorry to hear of your loss Dave. Fast pay was one of our favourite horses and we always went to the track to watch him race. As previously mentioned he was a remarkable horse.
I am so sorry for your loss.
I am so sorry for your loss. I really enjoyed watching him race and will miss him. My condolences to everyone who worked with him.
I am so sorry for your loss.
I am so sorry for your loss. I watched that horse closely and really liked him. I also respected what Paul said about him. However none of that changes what you feel today, the loss of a FRIEND.
My condolences on the loss
My condolences on the loss of Fast Pay. He was a remarkable horse.