Returning Zeron To Oakville HOF

Veteran trainer/driver Rick Zeron, who has distinguished himself through his contribution to harness racing, will be inducted into the Oakville Sports Hall of Fame

in the new year.

Zeron, along with football’s Michael ‘Pinball’ Clemons and Mike Vanderjagt and soccer’s Kara Lang, will be inducted on February 16 at 6 p.m. at the Oakville Conference Centre.

As a trainer, Zeron has sent out over 2,000 winners and collected more than $24 million in purse earnings. While as a driver, the Oakville resident has sent over 7,400 horses to the winner’s circle, earning over $95 million in purses.

“It was a pleasant surprise,” Zeron said. “The phone rang one day and the Hall of Fame committee told me I was inducted. It’s just a great feeling to even be considered let alone be inducted. I’m looking forward to having my family and friends with me that night.”

The 55-year-old also plans to return to the racetrack this Thursday evening (November 24) at Woodbine.

Zeron, who has been sidelined since October 8 after being involved in an on-track accident, says he’s 100 per cent healthy.

“I schooled two horses on Thursday morning at Mohawk and I felt great,” he said. “My only concern was my shoulder, but when I got off the bike I had no issues. I’m ready to go.”

Zeron, the winner of the 2010 O’Brien Award for Horsemanship, admitted how important it was for him to have a clean bill of health before returning to his driving duties.

“I knew I couldn’t come back 50 or 75 per cent,” he said. “Sure, I could probably drive, but if I did that, I would be putting other drivers at risk and I would have no part of that. I wouldn’t jeopardize other drivers on the track, so I had to make sure I was 100 percent ready to go.”

And it was a lengthy trek back to the racebike for the reinsman.

“It has been a very long recovery period, especially on my family,” Zeron said. “They have never seen me this banged up, but with great patience from my wife, Joyce, along with the rest of my family, I was able to fully recover sooner rather than later.

“I’d also like to thank my Homeopathic doctor, Su Lalsingh, my Sports Therapist, Karen McGregor and Dave Groves from Thera Laser for all their help during this time period,” he added.

(WEG)