In this week’s edition of Rewind, Robert Smith recalls the startup and some early-year happenings from the now-defunct Windsor Raceway. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the 1965 opening of the border oval. This is the second in a series of reminiscences from the over 45 years that the track operated (1965–2012).
Today, I have researched the archives and assembled a few stories that recall some of the memorable happenings at the gone-but-not-forgotten Windsor Raceway.
Herve Comes to Town – 1971
This framed photo that captured all the action from Herve Filion’s record-setting day in 1971 hung in the Windsor Clubhouse for several decades until the Raceway was demolished in 2015. It was undoubtedly sold at the track’s dispersal auction. (Author’s Collection)
On the afternoon of Sunday, Dec. 26, 1971, Windsor Raceway invited a special person to help celebrate Boxing Day. However, unlike most invited guests, Herve Filion wasn’t there to be indulged and pampered — he was there to work. The afternoon’s card featured a fuller-than-usual lineup, consisting of 10 races. Herve had a drive in every one!
Despite never having driven any of the horses before, Herve was up for the challenge. His goal for the day was to win seven races — something that had not been done previously. Several drivers had turned in six winning drives on a program, including Herve himself. Lucky seven was his mission.
After the eighth race, “Hurryin’ Herve,” as he was sometimes called, had already scored six trips to the winner’s circle. In the ninth — the featured Fleur de Lis Trot with a $5,000 purse — history was made as Herve came home first with Dynamite, an always fast but sometimes erratic trotter. It was a day for the ages and one to remember.
The First Windsor Driver’s Challenge Competition – 1972
On the afternoon of Sunday, Dec. 10, 1972, Windsor Raceway invited eight of the continent’s best drivers to compete in the day’s 10-race card. The event was called “The Challenge of Champions.” Several of these well-known sulky pilots flew in for the day, while a couple drove, and two were resident drivers at the Windsor oval. (See quiz photo below.)
When one of the visiting drivers was delayed in his flight to Windsor, the afternoon’s first post time was moved back by half an hour. Following the slightly later than expected start, the proceedings got underway to the delight of the 8,602 fans on hand.
The new promotional idea turned out to be a huge success. One visiting driver, who was perhaps not as well known on the Ontario scene as most of the others, ended up the day on top of the points standings. That young fellow was Gilles Gendron, by then a household name on the Montreal scene. He was the hero of the day!
It was a very rewarding and productive day for the 27-year-old Quebec-born driver. Based on his point total, Gendron was handed the keys to a brand new 1973 Chrysler Imperial valued at $10,500. Doing the honours was Chrysler Canada President Ron Todgham, a man quite conversant with the sport of harness racing — he had owned a number of horses in his earlier days.
All of the drivers were presented with a very nice stopwatch as a show of appreciation by Windsor management. In the years that followed, this same type of competition was held on many occasions — and always proved to be a popular event.
Windsor Turns 10 Years Old!
In November of 1975, Windsor Raceway was in the midst of a birthday celebration — after all, the track was turning 10! A series of special events and giveaways lasting several nights were held to mark the milestone. The track was living up to its city’s nickname, “The Motor City.”
As part of the celebrations, the keys to a brand new car (a 1976 Plymouth) were given to one lucky patron. Another person from Dearborn, Mich., won a Chrysler outboard motorboat complete with motor and trailer.
At about this time, a young fellow who had literally grown up in the shadows of the Windsor track was doing very well at “home,” as well as gaining national recognition. Greg Wright was just 19 when the track opened and shortly after piloted his first winner there.
Fast forward to 1975 — he had just driven Ike L as his 265th winner of the season in early November. This moved him within a couple of dozen wins of the 1,000 mark on the tartan track — a feat no one else had accomplished. His win total also placed him within reach of the national title as well. He trailed only Darryl Busse and Walter Paisley, top drivers at Chicago-area tracks.
This 1970 photo shows some of the early-year participants at Windsor. From left: Wm. Rowe (V.P.), Joe DeFrank (Race Secretary), hometown product Greg Wright, and Gerry Bookmyer of Sycamore, Ohio — both leading drivers in the early years.
Blue Boots: A Huge Star at Windsor - 1979
Many horses and drivers starred at the now long-ago meetings at Windsor Raceway, but a few deserve special attention. One that stands out is a horse that performed admirably during the years surrounding 1980. Even his name was “catchy,” as the saying goes — it was Blue Boots, a not-so-royally bred gelding by CK Adios that provided the fans with a lot of thrills and his co-owner and driver Trevor Ritchie with a lot of winning drives.
As the 1979 season came to a close on Dec. 30th, Blue Boots capped off one of the most successful seasons ever by a horse at the border oval. His final appearance of the campaign was a winning one and came in a dense fog. He scored his ninth win in 10 starts at the fall meeting in the featured $6,000 Chatham Pace, driven by Ritchie, who had earlier been crowned the new UDRS champion.
The horse was defeated in just one start at Windsor and went postward as the betting favourite in six of 10 starts. In his only loss, he was a slim second to Roan Baron and driver Ron Waples. He earned $23,250 of his season’s total of $33,363 at Windsor. For his part, Ritchie closed the fall session with a meet-leading .358 average and 31 victories to his credit.
Also on this night, Bill Gale scored his fourth driving triple of the meet, giving him a total of 59 wins to lead all drivers. This feat equalled Greg Wright’s record of 12 driving championships at Windsor.
The 1979 year marked the 15th season for Windsor Raceway — and it had already gathered quite a history.
Quote for the Week: “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” — Warren Buffett
Who Is It?
Can you name the drivers pictured above who participated in the first-ever Driver’s Challenge at Windsor in 1972? Name as many as you can.
Who Else Is It?
Can you identify the driver in this photo taken at Windsor Raceway in 1966? He raced horses for many years and later changed occupations, taking a job at an industry located not too far from Windsor. As far as I can determine, he is still with us and perhaps living in Leamington, Ont. He married a gal who came from a racing family as well. Who is he?
Windsor Trivia
The above photo shows Herve Filion setting a record (described above) at Windsor in 1970. Can you identify the second-place horse and driver?
(The correct answers will be posted here by Robert as a comment in a few days.)
Comment from a Rewind Reader
Note: Back in October 2015, a Rewind titled “Windsor Comes, Goes” appeared on the Standardbred Canada website. In March of 2024 — eight and a half years later — a former Windsor Raceway fan sent in the following comment. I doubt that many readers saw it, so I’ve published it here today.
I am 68 years old and have so many fond memories of going across the border to Windsor Raceway with my friend Benny. I used to run for him to the windows and make his bets because he had polio. We were there almost every single night, and I remember the night they could not race due to the huge snowstorm. Their legend was that Windsor never closed — at least most of the time.
My favourite announcer that I can remember was Jack Calvert. He used to walk past us at our regular table in the Clubhouse. The waiters and waitresses knew us by name, and we knew them. Service was always excellent. Jack Riggs was awesome and such a great announcer too — he and Calvert were tops.
The weekend feature at Windsor always had Derby Dan and Sandra Lil going at it on Saturday night. Then there was Gerald Aikens’ The Caple Man and George Davis’ Moonlight Express — and so many other greats. Greg Wright and Jerry Moffat were the dynamic duo until Bill Gale came into his own. Ray Remmen was also a big favourite, and I remember his horse Goyo racing at the track back then. Such great memories, and such a spic-and-span clean track everywhere — even an attendant in the bathroom!
The ticket sellers and cashiers were also just so nice and polite — a little different than our Hazel Park Harness Raceway and DRC, although those two tracks had some of the best racing in these parts until the Meadowlands opened and drained so much of the great talent we enjoyed locally in Metro Detroit. I also remember having French fries with vinegar for the first time — and loved it!
All I can say is, if I ever make it to Heaven, I hope the race tracks that I grew up loving will have a section for us to enjoy the horses like we once did long ago.
— Submitted by Danny Daniel, March 21, 2024 – 9:56 p.m.