SC Rewind: Western Fair Raceway, 50 Years Of Golden Memories

In this week's Rewind, Robert Smith recalls the advent of night racing in Ontario at London's Western Fair Raceway 50 years ago. This is the first in a series commemorating this special Golden Anniversary Year.

The evening of Wednesday May 17, 1961 stands as a very special date in Canadian Harness Racing history. It was on that date that the first night racing was held in the Province of Ontario. While a few attempts, short in duration, had been made in earlier years, this historic meeting at London's Western Fair Raceway is generally considered as the start of the modern day form of the sport held under the lights. As this momentous anniversary approaches it is my intention to provide a look back at many of the people, horses and reminiscences from that time now nearly 50 years ago. A number of further "Rewinds" will cover other aspects of that unforgettable year of 1961 at WFR.

While night racing predates this time by many years, its arrival on the Ontario scene was late in its coming. Many battles were waged, mainly political in nature, but finally the long awaited day was about to arrive, or should I say "evening". The fact that long time Ontario Premier Leslie Frost also left office in 1961 may have been more than a coincidence of history. It must also be pointed out that the London racing facility was by this time "well seasoned", its history undoubtedly predating even the oldest attendee on this occasion. Originally known as Queen's Park, it had been the scene of many memorable race meetings in its long and storied history dating back to the late 1800's. One of the longest standing world records occurred at the London oval when Grattan Bars paced in 59 1/2 for a half mile dash driven by Gid Litt in 1927. This record remained on the books for the next 40 years. In 1900 the world record for a team was set here when Bobby Hal and Charley B paced together in 2:13 to set the new standard.

The first order of business was to update the actual racing facilities. First and foremost was a state of the art lighting system installed at a cost of $40, 000, considered quite expensive at that time. The best aspects of three different proposals resulted in what was believed to be a setup second to none in existence at any North American track. It was designed to combine both the principles of low pole and high pole lighting, providing a minimum light intensity of 20 candle power to a maximum of 100 candle power at the finish line. A permanent pari-mutuel department had to be erected with a private calculating and money room to insure speedy results and payouts. Additionally a paddock was built between the grandstand and the barns and also an automatic tote board was installed in the infield. Upgrades to the grandstand highlighted the makeover.

The starting of night racing at London was undoubtedly not the idea of one person but the main driving force was an energetic 36-year-old gentleman named Evan McGugan. He had been a fixture at the Western Fair dating back to 1948 first serving as secretary and in 1957 became General Manager. While he did not come from a racing background, he is credited with assembling a supporting cast that quickly put together a first class operation that immediately began to operate in a very efficient fashion. Prior to going ahead with the plan he had done a great deal of "homework" and in depth research on the feasibility of night time racing and was convinced "the ship would sail." Now at the age of 85, this native of Ekfrid Township has to reflect with a great deal of pride at his past accomplishments. His working career at WFR spanned an amazing 43 years. His untiring efforts and dedication to this project have earned him a special niche in Canadian Harness Racing history. He is a member of the WFR "Wall Of Fame" a prestigious group of people who have helped in the building of the Raceway over the years.

Another person involved with getting London off the ground was a fellow named Allison "Al" Grillo, a man who brought with him an extensive background in the racing game much of it from the U.S. This rather large framed gent (pictured above with Dunc Campbell), a former pro football player from Edison, N.J. served as the Presiding Judge for the opening meet. His previous experience at Sackville Downs in Halifax brought high praise from officials in that area who recommended him for this posting.

Opening night at WFR was Wednesday, May 17 and post time was 8:00 p.m. A program of four races was held, and in order to provide sufficient horses to operate in those first weeks, double heats were scheduled by Race Secretary Clifford "Chappy" Chapman thus resulting in eight separate contests. Most if not all of the backstretch population were well known in local circles, many had often raced at the London meetings and a number were already residents at the trackside stables as their training base. The inaugural meeting lasted some six weeks with racing generally held Wednesday through Saturday. Purses ranged from $400 to $1,000 and a number of special events were carded. It was a time many had eagerly awaited.

The track announcer for opening night was a then 25 year old "veteran" named Bill McDonnell who at this time was already in his second decade of race calling. Although he held a full-time time job as a Bank accountant, he was available for the bulk of the race dates, commuting from his home in Hamilton. Part of his early duties included the training of backup callers and amazingly one of his first and most successful students was none other than Evan McGugan.

London's very first race was a Class "D 1" pace for a purse of $400 and drew eight entrants with seven facing starter Art Whitesell as Lee Johnston was a scratch. Almost as if scripted, the inaugural dash was won by a three-year-old Alpha Hal filly named Adieu Herbert, owned, trained and driven by a youthful 62-year-old legend named Bill Herbert of London. Unfortunately the Herbert entry was scratched from the second heat and thus denied a possible two-heat victory. Based on the best summary of 2-1, Garfield Ritchie and his six-year-old Big Gun mare Marlene R etched their names in the record books as the winner of the first race held under the lights in Ontario. The "show" was underway.

Summary of WFR Opening Night First Race:
"D-1" Pace - Two One Mile Heats - Purse $400

Horse - Driver - 1st Dash - 2nd Dash

Adieu Herbert - (Wm. Herbert) - 1 - Scratch
Marlene R. - (Garfield Ritchie) - 2 - 1
Twinkles Danny - (Don Larkin) - 3 - 2
Favonian Melody - (Dunc Barnes) - 4 - 3
Rose Herbert - (Ross Blackman) - 5 - 4
Dorothy O - (Ken Bogart) - 6 - 5
Oxford Windy - ( John Anscombe) - D. N. F. - Scratch
Lee Johnston - Scratch - Scratch

Times : 2:13.2; 2:18. 2

The next story describing the "Early Years" at WFR will appear in a future Rewind.