SC Rewind: Years Ago - 1990s

This week's edition of Rewind is the first of the New Year as Robert Smith offers the monthly feature Years Ago.  This time it's all about the 1990's so in other words about 35 or so years ago; maybe as recent as 25.  His piece covers a number of items, faces and happenings from that time period in history.  

1990 - Ray Remmen Off To A Good Start 

Western Canadian-born Ray Remmen started off the decade of the 1990's in a rather convincing fashion.  From his home base at The Meadowlands, where he won the very first race contested there back in 1976,  he headed up a very powerful stable.  

The following caption was copied from his bio in the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame where he was inducted in 2008. 

"Remmen enjoyed one of his most successful years in 1990 training and driving Beach Towel, who was named the Harness Horse of the Year after earning victories in 18 of 23 starts. Victories in prestigious races such as the Little Brown Jug, American National, Meadowlands Pace, Delvin Miller Adios, Breeders Crown and the Prix d’Ete helped the three-year-old pacing colt become the first standardbred to win more than $2 million in one year."

Ray and his two brothers Larry and Gord defined how to run a high class operation and the results were in evidence for several decades.  

Ray Remmen and Beach Towel front the field on Prix d'Ete day at Blue Bonnets in 1990.  They won that year's classic which carried a record purse of $663,500.  Their winning time of 1:53.1 was one second slower than the record of 1:52.1 set the year previous by Goalie Jeff.   

1990 - Apaches Fame Takes Confederation Cup 

The decade of the 1990's welcomed a very special horse when Apaches Fame took centre stage.  His win in the 1990 Confederation Cup at Flamboro marked the first time an Ontario-sired, bred and owned horse had won this prestigious race.  It was yet another indication of just how much progress was being made in Canadian and particularly Ontario racing.  This marked the 14th edition of the race. 

Apaches Fame is the pacer that many would consider to be the Standardbred that helped elevate the Ontario Sires Stakes program to a world-class producer of harness racing talent. After a brilliant career both on the track and in the breeding shed he passed away at the age of 26 in 2013. 

The signature race of Flamboro Downs started in 1977 and was first won by Governor Skipper driven by Canadian born John Chapman.  In 14 years the purse rose from $72,500 for the inaugural to $378,500 in 1987 when Jate Lobell was the winner.  The 1990 edition carried a slightly lower purse of $341,000. 

1992 - Kopas Stable Excels In O.S.S. Competition 

When the OSS series started in 1974 Jack Kopas was an immediate participant in several categories.  His stable was composed of well-bred and well-trained performers and perhaps also had the advantage of training in the south.  Jack's son John was just 20 when the series began but he was already being primed for the future. 

Young John soon took on many of the driving assignments that this series required as at times multiple entries at different tracks posed scheduling problems 

July 5, 1992 - John Kopas reins the three-year-old pacing colt Bruce My Boy to a new lifetime best of 1:56 over the Flamboro track.  This youngster was owned by the Trent Valley Stable, and was just one of many top notch colts performing for the Kopas Stable. John was also the trainer.  This colt was a standout at age two and was honoured as top freshman pacer at Flamboro in 1991. 

1997 - The Past 30 Years (1967- 1997) 

In 1967 which was Canada's Centennial Year,  Ontario harness racing witnessed its first ever sub-2:00 mile.  That momentous happening occurred on July 28, 1967 when the pacer Good Time Boy toured the Greenwood oval in 1:59.4 for driver Jacques "Jimmy" Larente.  It was just the 11th sub-2:00 mile recorded on Canadian soil.  

Jimmy Larente and Good Time Boy enjoy the moment as Ontario racing recorded its first "Miracle Mile".  Date was July 28, 1967

Fast forward 30 years to 1996 and the Canadian standard for the mile had been reduced to 1:48.4 by Riyadh and driver Bill Gale in a prep race for that year's Canadian Pacing Derby at Woodbine Racetrack.

Quote For The Week: "We must adventure to know where we truly belong." - An old Irish proverb that conveys the idea that personal growth, self-discovery, and fulfillment often require stepping into the unknown. 

Who Is It?  

Can you identify this driver?  He is from the U.S. but has raced in Canada I believe. 

Who Else Is It?  

Can you identify this young fellow?  

Blast From The Past 

A program from the famous old Roosevelt Raceway in 1941, the second year the track was in business as the original night time racing plant.  The horse is Fast Train owned by E. T. Gerry of Old Westbury, N.Y. An interesting slogan says, "Where You See The Race From Start To Finish."  Price: 15 Cents