Following lengthy absences from racing, drivers Phil Hudon and Brad Forward both returned to the winner's circle after scoring in back-to-back races during the Saturday afternoon harness racing card at Flamboro Downs.
Hudon earned his first win back with Sestina ($3.10) in the seventh race. He sent the four-year-old Modern Art mare three-wide down the backstretch and opened up five and three-quarter lengths on the field to win in 2:00 over the 'good' track rated two seconds slow. Kelly Sheppard trains the pacer for Sea Of Green Inc. of Dundas, Ont.
Hudon, a winner of 3,649 races lifetime, returned to racing action in late November following a six-month absence.
Forward returned to the sulky following a two-year absence on Saturday and guided Survival Guide ($31.80) to an upset victory in the following race. The four-year-old Million Dollar Cam gelding advanced first over and wore down favourite Libertys Best Star in the final strides to win by a neck in 1:57.2 for trainer Kevin Tremblay and owner Marc Lemay of Quebec City, Que.
Forward's last win was at the end of August 2010. He has made 4,014 trips to victory lane in his career.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Saturday Results - Flamboro Downs.