SC Rewind: Picture Parade

In this week's Rewind, Robert Smith offers up another version of Picture Parade to test the recognition skills of the reading audience. This time it has a special theme; read on to learn the rest.

The decade of the 1960s was a time of tremendous growth for the sport of harness racing in the Province of Ontario. As the decade opened, the only track offering extended racing opportunities was located in downtown Toronto and was then known as Old Woodbine. With night racing not yet allowed in the Province, this track staged a summer meeting in 1960 which started on July 1 and concluded on Aug. 31. All racing took place during daylight hours. The attendance and wagering was up from the previous few years but still only provided two months of racing activity for the horse people as well as the paying customers. It was a far cry from what it would soon become.

By way of comparison to show what happened during the decade, the attendance in 1960 amounted to about 230,000 paid admissions at Old Woodbine. By 1969 the admission totals reached 1,023,000 for Greenwood alone. The wagering in 1960 for 50 dates totalled $8,642.000. By 1969 the racing calendar had expanded to 132 dates at Greenwood alone (as it became known as in 1963) and the wagering reached almost $63,000,000. This told only part of the story because the other two OJC tracks, Mohawk and Garden City registered huge wagering totals and admissions as well.

By the end of the decade, the harness sport in Ontario was a thriving enterprise. The O.J.C. had expanded to three tracks and elsewhere in Ontario, no less than five new tracks had either been newly built or refurbished for the modern age which was the case with London's Western Fair Raceway. The growth that took place during this decade was unprecedented.

Today I have displayed a number of old photographs of popular and successful drivers, most of whom were active on the Jockey Club circuit during the entire 10-year period from 1960 - 1969. The object as always is to correctly identify a person or two in each picture. If you just like to look at the old pictures and let others do the guessing, that is allowed too.

#1 - Who is this fellow shown receiving a trophy from J.J. Mooney of the O.J.C.?

#2 - This man helped to launch harness racing in Ontario on a major scale and is shown here with the Carling trophy one of many awards he collected for his efforts. If you know who it is let us know.

#3 - Who is this chap? He was pretty successful in the 1960's. I believe he was at Mohawk here but if I'm wrong someone will tell me.

#4 - Can you name this driver (2) as he heads for a victory? For good measure who is the fellow finishing second?

#5 - How could you have a quiz like today's without this fellow? The real experts will probably see past the screen set up by the horse's tail. Can you come up with his name?

#6 - The man on the right was a great driver and his descendants are very much in evidence in the current version of the sport. If you recognize this fine gentleman let us know.

#7 - Who is the fellow in the driver's seat? Name him if you can. I hope he's tuning in to Rewind these days.

#8 - This young fellow is shown making a visit to the Mohawk winner's circle in this 1966 shot. He drove for a number of years and was involved in numerous other areas for a very long time. Can you name him correctly?

#9 - These three fellows all had major stables racing at the O.J.C. tracks at one time. Looking at this early picture they all knew how to work too. It might take a little figuring but name them if you can.

#10 - This young lad made a lot of appearances in the winner's circle during this time period and for many years after. Can you recognize him?

Quote For The Week: "As fit as a butcher's dog" - A British saying describing one's physical fitness