The festive spirit of giving was in the air on Sunday afternoon (Dec. 18) at The Raceway at Western Fair District as eight top drivers from across Ontario competed in the Third Annual Drivers' Holiday Challenge in support of Toys for Tots.
In a back-and-forth battle all afternoon, the competition came down to the final race with Natasha Day clinching the overall victory with her fifth-place finish aboard Eternal Ruler in the finale — edging out her closest rivals Tyler Borth and Scott Young.
Natasha Day got off to a great beginning in Race 1, winning aboard JMR Mach Mel for trainer Kim Smith. From there, it was just a matter of grabbing points where and when she could.
“Being in these challenges, it’s a points thing and I’ve learned to just keep chipping away. The key to it all is getting the little points when you can,” said Day.
The 2022 OLG Ontario Women’s Driving Champion was noticeably proud of her accomplishment on Sunday.
“It’s good and it’s exposure — we had lots of eyes on us today. It was fun competing in this and all for a great cause at the same time.”
Below are the final point standings from the challenge:
Natasha Day - 64
Tyler Borth - 62
Scott Young - 61
James MacDonald - 56
Travis Henry - 56
Brett MacDonald - 52
Colin Kelly - 42
Scott Wray - 39
The holiday spirit high on the evening, as the horse racing community and its fans came together to provide a charitable donation of more than $15,000. This donation exceeds the total from the past two editions and will help in putting smiles on the faces of many children this holiday season.
The Raceway team wishes to thank the collective Southwestern Ontario horse community for their continued support of this very popular event and will now look forward to presenting the Fourth Annual Drivers' Holiday Challenge in December of 2023.
Below is a replay of COSA TV's live coverage of the Annual Drivers' Holiday Challenge:
To view Sunday's harness racing results, click the following link: Sunday Results - Western Fair.
(With files from Western Fair District)