Mythic Art and trainer-driver Don Rankin Jr. closed out the final card of live racing at Sudbury Downs with a wire-to-wire victory in the 10th race on a snowy Saturday evening in Chelmsford, Ont.
Leaving from post three in the final $6,000 claiming event, six-year-old pacer Mythic Art cleared to command and led the way past fractions of :28.1, :57.2 and 1:27.2 while turning back first over challenger Brawny and Paul MacLean. Mythic Art dug in around the final turn and cruised home to win in 1:57.2. Favourite Loose Talk and David Dowling followed one and a half lengths from the pocket while Red Leaf Morgan and Jason Ryan rounded out the top three finishers.
Sudbury Downs' leading driver Jason Ryan added three more wins to his top total during the card. He pushed his local win count to 93 after scoring with Shipp To Morgan in the opener, Imbadimnationwide in race four and his own trainee Officernagentleman in the eighth.
France MacLean topped the trainer standings for the year. She picked up one final win on the closing card with Paul MacLean driving Flight Night down the road in the second race to push her seasonal total to 64.
Highlights from the 2012 racing season include the locally owned pacer Casimir Jitterbug prevailing in the $100,000 Remember Sudbury Stake on Oct. 6 for Mario and Kari Rivest, and Champions Trot winner Lexis D J lowering the all-time trotting track record to 1:57.1 in his elimination on Sept. 19 for driver Dave Boughton and trainer Shane Arsenault.
After upsetting in the Baby To Boomer Series, Better Get Ready, driven by Mike MacNeill and trained by Jay Polifroni, established the sophomore track record of 1:53.4 on Aug. 4 with a 15-1/2 length romp in a leg of the Juggernaut Series. Duc Dorleans set the 1:55.3 freshman track record in Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots action on Aug. 22. Also among the record performances this season was CMR Bresha's 1:54.3 winning effort on July 21. In rein to Justin Turcotte for conditioner Yvon Duclos, she became the fastest female pacer at the Downs.
This season also saw Philippe Belanger's Mellow Jenny win the Heat Wave Series title on Sept. 1; Rock Concert and David Dowling sweep the Young Guns Pacing Series in late September; Hidden Hall score in the Harvest Stake on Oct. 11; Ernst Wehrberger's Stonebridge Brioso upset the Late Bloomer Series Final on Oct. 20 in rein to Wayne MacLean; and Jimmy Shin win the Snowman Trot on Nov. 14 for Turcotte and Duclos.
"We thank you very much for your patronage here at Sudbury Downs. We also thank all of the horsepeople, all the participants and all of our staff," announced general manager Ken Le Drew as the program concluded. "We hope you will keep us in your memories."
Sudbury Downs officials had indicated that Saturday's 10-race card may be the last card of live harness racing at the half-mile oval following the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. and Ontario government's announcement that the Slots-At-Racetracks program will be ending in March 2013.
"It now seems inevitable that our last night of racing for 2012, to be contested on November 24, will be the last card of live racing ever at Sudbury Downs," track officials stated in a press release in early October.
Sudbury Downs has offered 38 years of live harness racing in Northern Ontario.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Saturday Results - Sudbury Downs.
Just another victim of the
Just another victim of the liberal government. Shut the place down immediately so that the olg doesn't collect another dime from those slots.
Another Legacy washed away by
Another Legacy washed away by our Provincial Govt. Greg Houle former owner and fan
Ontario Standardbred
Ontario Standardbred Racetracks Sudbury Dresden Woodstock KAWARTHA Orangeville WINDSOR Hanover Grand river and all the ones that are left! Thanks to McGuinty Duncan GODFREY and Tannenbalm we know know what they are up to..The war of 2012 is over but for all of you who fought the battle , we have identified the enemy and did our best to survive... Merry Christmas to all I hope you all have a better 2013..... happy new year. Tom ...