Veterans spending their day at the Meadows were honoured in the winner’s circle after the sixth race on Monday (November 11) as part of a special Veterans Day event.
Anyone that served their country was invited to the winner’s circle, where they received a free win photo to share in the victory by DM Big Dog Daddy. They were also given a $5 betting voucher, free drinks and food, all courtesy of the Meadows Standardbred Owners Association.
Ron Burke, trainer of DM Big Dog Daddy, said, "I wanted them to remember their day at the Meadows. They are truly heroes and we appreciate the sacrifices they have made."
After the group photo was taken, Burke called down to request that one of the veterans be given the blanket, which had been presented to the winning horse.
Winning driver Dave Palone added, "It was an honour to meet those fellas. My dad is an ex-Marine and I wish he could have made it today. It sure puts things into perspective. We owe them a lot."
When Palone returned to the Winners Circle he hung up the lines and went to shake the hands of all the veterans that had joined him.
Russ Otto, a veteran and a regular patron at the track, summed it up. "I think that it was really great that the Meadows and MSOA honoured the veterans, we really appreciated it."
(MSOA)