The day started out well for driver Trevor Henry thanks to a win in the opener, and as the day went on it only got sweeter for the Arthur, Ontario horseman.
Henry went into the program needing four more wins to become a member of the 5,000-win club, and he accomplished the feat three-quarters of the way through the program.
He clicked in Race 1 with Heres The Magic (2:00.2) before tacking on wins with Andro Madi (1:57.4) in Race 3 and Count Strike (1:59.3) in Race 5. Henry’s milestone triumph was celebrated with Monster In Law (1:55.3) in the $5,000 Preferred 3 in the Race 9.
Henry, who leads the nation with 402 wins in 2013, is a two-time Lampman Cup winner as the leading driver in the Ontario Sires Stakes. He was also Canada’s representative at this year’s World Driving Championship in France.
Monday’s card featured a pair of $10,000 Preferred 2 events – one for pacers and one for trotters – with top honours going to Rainbow Gold and Frankies Dragon.
Rainbow Gold rallied into a slowing tempo and took home the lion’s share of the purse in the Preferred 2 tilt for trotters. Dennis Duford, who co-owns the gelding, guided him to the winning effort for trainer Ashley Duford.
Natural Forces put up a good fight to finish second, while CIS Buckeye, who led the field through fractions of :28.2, :58.1 and 1:27.4, faded to finish third in the 1:59 affair.
The six-year-old son of Thunder Road-Incredible Gold won for the seventh time this season and for the 21st time in his career. The $5,000 payday bumped his overall bankroll to $107,337.
Frankies Dragon, who was sent off as the 6-5 favourite, turned a two-hole trip into a 1:54.3 score in the $10,000 Preferred 2 for pacers. Doug McNair tracked the pacesetting Clic K through intervals of :27.4, :57.3 and 1:26 before sliding up the rail to win in 1:54.3. Bare Necessity, who did the first-over work, held on bravely to finish second. Clic K weakened late and wound up third.
The four-year-old son of Dragon Again-Real Fool won for the fourth time this year for trainer Luc Blais. Les Ecuries Luc Blais Inc of Lochaber Ouest and Pierre Charette of Gatineau, Quebec own the 16-time winner who bumped his cash stash to $160,637 with the victory.
Just One Day couldn’t be caught in the $7,000 Fillies & Mares Preferred Trot. The seven-year-old daughter of Earl-Just One Night marched to the top from Post 1 and led the group through fractions of :28.3, :59.1 and 1:28.1 before using a :31-second final frame to win by a half-length margin over Thundering Ovation in 1:59.1. Race favourite Moms Apple Pie came first-over before fading to finish third.
Ryan Holliday mapped out the winning trip for the Dave Holliday-trained homebred. Graham Jackson of Listowel, Ontario bred and owns the 35-time winner who has stashed away earnings of $242,599 to date.
To view results for Monday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Monday Results – The Raceway at The Western Fair District.