Garrett Rooney was the star of the 10-race card at The Raceway at Western Fair District on Friday, Feb. 16, driving half of the night's winners.
Rooney was a winner right out of the starting gate, sweeping the first three races for pacers with the Tom Bain-trained Money On The Beach ($4.30), trainer Heather Pickett's homebred Drinkin Buddy ($2.50) and the mare Cinderella Delight ($2.90) for the Stewart McQueen stable.
He later drove back-to-back winners for trainer Cameron McQueen, taking the sixth race with trotting mare Champagne Bettin ($3.60) and the seventh with pacing mare Better Not Sass ($3.20).
Rooney achieved his five wins driving in just eight races. His lucrative evening also included a pair of runner-up finishes and a fifth-place cheque.
With his five Friday wins, Rooney moved into a tie atop the 2024 driver standings at the London, Ont. oval with Tyler Borth. Both reinsmen have won 33 races so far this year at The Raceway.
Rooney is coming off consecutive million-dollar seasons, including a career-best 2023 campaign in which his mounts won 264 races and $1.4 million in purse earnings. The Iona, Ont. driver has won 1,548 races lifetime with earnings over $8.2 million.
The program concluded with a memorable win for new trainer Ken Ellis. Completing a driving double, Tyler Moore guided four-year-old trotting gelding Wolinak to a wire-to-wire victory in a $7,600 conditioned claiming trot in 2:00.1, keeping pocket-popper The Ballykeel Deal at bay and marking the first training triumph of Ellis's career.
It took just four starts for Ellis to make it to the winner's circle. The 36-year-old resident of Guelph, Ont. trains and leases the Wheeling N Dealin gelding, who paid $4.80 to win as the 7-5 favourite.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click the following link: Friday Results - Western Fair Raceway.
(Standardbred Canada)