The Raceway at Western Fair District handed out plenty of hardware to the top performers of 2024 during its annual awards night on Saturday, Feb. 22 at the track's Top of the Fair dining room.
Pacing standout It Takes Two was one of the big winners, taking home the Overall Horse of the Year trophy in addition to top older pacing horse. Local owner/trainer Brittany Kennedy was honoured as the Ruth Herbert Horsewoman of the Year while her own Lass Shot was also voted the top older trotting mare.
Pacing mare Ladies From Hell was named top Older Pacing Mare. The daughter of Classic Card Shark enjoyed a brilliant 10-year-old season with 11 wins and more than $60,000 in earnings for owners Michael and Shae Sumner of London, Ont. Sauble Lila, with 13 wins at The Raceway, was named as three-year-old pacing filly.
Cassidy Schneider took home her third consecutive Trainer of the Year title on the strength of a 47-win season in which her stable earned just shy of $300,000. Her father, Colonel Schneider Jr., was the leading owner for the second straight year with 34 winners for earnings of $196,000.
Garrett Rooney captured his first driving title in London, steering home 156 winners with purse earnings of more than $906,000.
The Raceway’s Caretaker of the Year was a dead-heat between a pair of popular local fixtures at The Raceway, Paige Porter and Eddie Durbridge. The annual Awards Night celebration once again took place at the Top Of The Fair restaurant with a crowd of approximately 250 in attendance.
The horse awards were based on the highest earnings with a minimum of six starts at The Raceway during the calendar year while the claiming awards are based on the number of claiming wins at The Raceway during the same period. The complete list of this year’s winners is shown below.
Three-Year-Old Trotting Colt – Chip Happened
Three-Year-Old Trotting Filly – Summer Crush
Aged Trotting Horse – The Great Reset
Aged Trotting Mare – Lass Shot
Three-Year-Old Pacing Colt – Hazee Coast
Three-Year-Old Pacing Filly – Sauble Lila
Aged Pacing Horse – It Takes Two
Aged Pacing Mare – Ladies From Hell
Claiming Trotter – Champagne Bettina
Claiming Pacer – Favaro Seelster
Rookie Performer – Wayne Stone
Leading Driver – Garrett Rooney
Leading Trainer – Cassidy Schneider
Leading Owner – Colonel Schneider Jr.
Caretaker – Ed Durbridge & Paige Porter
Ruth Herbert Horsewoman of the Year – Brittany Kennedy
Horse of the Year – It Takes Two
(With files from Western Fair District; Photo of Ian Fleming (right) presenting to the connections of It Takes Two)