The Raceway at Western Fair District hosted its 21st annual Harness The Hope event on Friday, Oct. 16, with the evening's racing highlights including a women's driving challenge won by Jessica Turenne and a milestone victory for veteran pacer Music To My Gears.
The women's driving challenge comprised the first six races on the program, with Turenne, who competes regularly at Hippodrome 3R, sweeping the early Daily Double with pacing mare Halcyon Hanover ($7.70) in a season's best 1:59 for trainer Kathryn Cochrane and pacing gelding Talk Racy To Me ($3), who scored his third straight in 1:58.1 for the Jason Libby stable. While the third race was declared a No Contest, Turenne also had a pair of second-place finishes and a third in the other challenge races to top the point standings.
Defending champion Marie-Claude Auger also drove two winners, scoring with the Terry Gallant-trained pacing gelding No Plan Intended ($2.30) and pacing mare Jazzville ($2.70) for conditioner Joe Pereira.
Vicky Stratton guided Music To My Gears ($4.20) to the 14-year-old pacer's milestone 50th career triumph in a 1:58.1 mile. Trained and leased by Ken Middleton Jr., the Rocknroll Hanover-Changing Gears gelding has earned the majority of his victories over the past four years.
The other drivers who participated in the event were Candace Brandstatter-Hall, Natasha Day, Pam Forgie, Britt Kennedy and Julie Walker.
The third race was declared a No Contest after a mishap occurred in the first turn with a trio of early leavers racing in tight quarters. D A Cinnamoncrunch (Marie-Claude Auger) veered into Phosphorus (Natasha Day), who subsequently interfered with outside leaver Firstofanera, knocking driver Anita Ouellette out of her seat. Ouellette managed to pull herself back into the sulky while guiding her horse to the outside of the track into the backstretch as the race was called off. She did return to action in the following race and complete the competition.
Western Fair also hosted a buffet dinner at the Top of the Fair Restaurant, an online auction and door prize draws as part of the Harness The Hope Night fundraising activities in support of Breast Cancer Canada and Pink Pearl Canada.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click the following link: Friday Results - Western Fair Raceway.
(Standardbred Canada; photo of Jessica Turenne from a previous win at Hippodrome 3R)