What do former NHLer Eric Lindros, English lawn bowling legend Ron Jones and 'Mr. Ontario Sires Stakes' Dave Wall have in common?
On Thursday, November 3, the trio, along with a list of others, was inducted into the London Sports Hall of Fame during a ceremony which took place at the Western Fair District.
Wall, who has 7,115 lifetime victories and has steered his mounts to $59 million in purse earnings, revealed at the ceremony that he’ll soon be returning to the sulky competitively after being laid up with two broken ankles following a racing accident in early April. He got re-acquainted with the race bike during the raceway's qualifying session on Friday, November 4 when he steered two-year-old Wally Tyme to a fourth-place finish in a 2:05.3 mile.
Accompanying Wall, Jones and Lindros last night was NHL player Doug Jarrett, Paul Duerden (volleyball), Harvey Lennox (stock car racing), Jason de Vos (soccer), 1960 London Lords football champions, George Orton (Canada's first Olympic gold medalist) and Marion Clarke Knowles (all-round athlete in 1940s and '50s).
On Saturday, November 5, Western Fair will host the four finals of the Middlesex County Stakes starting with the $52,200 mare trot (Race 2). Amoreena, a three-year-old Amgio Hall filly that has won both Middlesex preliminary legs, is scheduled to headline the dash. Owned by Debra Jeffries and trained by Roy Jeffries, the filly has three wins and a second in four lifetime starts.
In the $57,400 final for male trotters, two horses have a chance to sweep, Indian Lake and Zip The Lip, who each come into Saturday night’s final riding a four-race winning streak. Trevor Henry will drive Indian Lake from Post 6 for trainer Graham Burgess, while Zip The Lip will leave from Post 7 with Paul MacKenzie at the lines.
The $61,000 mare pace also has two competitors that have won both Middlesex legs --- three-year-olds DJs Sister and Mach Raiser. The former filly has a post advantage, as she’ll leave from Post 2 with Henry in the sulky. Mach Raiser has the seven hole with Robert Shepherd aboard.
The fourth Middlesex final, the $57,400 male pace (Race 10), finds the two early favourites, Razor Sharp and Kesons Reign, leaving side by side in Post 1 and Post 2. Razor Sharp is just that with five wins and three seconds from eight starts this year. Kesons Reign comes into the contest with three straight wins, including both preliminary legs.
To view the Saturday harness racing entries at the Western Fair District, click the following link: Saturday Entries - Western Fair.
(With files from Western Fair)