Bridge Street Honoured In London

Bridge Street, regarded as one of the most popular and durable pacers in the history of The Raceway at Western Fair District, will be inducted into the track’s prestigious Wall Of Fame on Friday, May 11.

The hard-hitting pacer compiled 58 wins during his 361-race career that spanned 11 years. And, despite never winning a stakes race, the son of Armbro Emerson—who was a $10,000 yearling purchase—amassed more than $676,000 for his connections that included Tom Brodhurst, George and Shirley Griffin, and Scott and Kim McNiven—who also trained and managed the pacer.

Brodhurst estimates that he has owned more than 150 horses over the years, but there is absolutely no doubt which one tops the list.

“He (Bridge Street) is why I’ve stayed in the game as long as I have,” says Brodhurst. “He just never threw in a bad race and made all of his money the hard way while never winning a stake race. He means so much to our entire ownership group. I laugh when I think back to the circumstances of when we purchased him, and I am glad it all worked out the way it did.”

In fact, it was the late George Griffin who urged the group to consider buying the yearling, even though Brodhurst wasn’t looking for another horse at the time. When the bidding reached $10,000, Brodhurst had no intentions of raising his hand again. Fortunately, he didn’t have to, and the rest, as they say, is history.

“It was George who first got me into the game in 1964 when we worked in the insurance business together,” recalls Brodhurst. “His wife Shirley has remained partners, and we’ve always had our horses with Scott and Kim McNiven. We’ve been fortunate to have a lot of nice race horses, and being inducted into the Wall Of Fame is truly an unexpected and special honour for all of us.”

Bridge Street will be honoured during a special trackside ceremony, and is expected to be on hand himself in the winner’s circle and lead a post parade during the program.

“Bridge Street was the epitome of that iron-tough raceway horse,” said The Raceway’s Director of Racing Greg Blanchard. “His consistency for such a long period of time at such a high level is amazing. He just showed up week in and week out and loved his job. He was definitely the type of horse that both casual fans and horseplayers alike really appreciated, and we are very pleased to induct him to our Wall Of Fame.”

Wall Of Fame night will be part of a very busy month of May at The Raceway, which also includes a special Mother’s Day program on May 13, the Ontario Regional Drivers Championship on May 16, and the first ever Camluck Classic on closing day, Saturday, May 26.

For complete details, visit www.westernfairdistrict.com.

(The Raceway at Western Fair District)