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The top four-year-old pacers in harness racing will display their talents at Flamboro Downs on Sunday, May 20 for the 40th edition of the Confederation Cup.
The 2018 edition of Flamboro Downs’ signature event marks the fourth consecutive year that four-year-old pacers will battle for the prestigious ‘Cup.’
The inaugural Confederation Cup took place in 1977, and this year’s winner will join an impressive list of past champions, including Cam Fella, On The Road Again, Matts Scooter, Art Major, American Ideal and Somebeachsomewhere.
A total of 30 four-year-old pacers remain eligible to this year’s $150,000 (added) race.
An exciting lineup of activities has been planned for this year’s Confederation Cup Night.
Racing fans will not want to miss out on a special tribute to the late-great Somebeachsomewhere. The legendary pacer’s driver, Paul MacDonell, a record five-time winner of the Cup, will be on hand to sign photos from Somebeachsomewhere’s 2008 Cup victory.
Fans attending this year’s event could walk away with more than a casual interest in the sport. Flamboro Downs and The Stable have teamed up to giveaway 10 shares of a racehorse, five on Cup Night and five through radio contests leading up to May 20.
The racing fun won’t be restricted to the slightly less than two minutes for each pace or trot. The Wanna Drive team will be onsite to take fans for sulky rides, while the always popular miniature horses will strut their stuff in an exhibition race.
Sports fans have plenty to be excited about when it comes to this year’s event.
Several Canadian women’s hockey Olympic Gold and Silver medalists will be taking in Cup Night and making an appearance. A sports memorabilia auction will also happening on Cup Night, with all proceeds going to the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society (OSAS).
The competition on the track will be fierce throughout the entire evening, as the 2018 Ontario Sires Stakes season will kick off with a Gold event for three-year-old pacing colts and geldings to make up a strong Cup undercard.
The activities off the track will keep fans busy with live entertainment, a stilt walker and balloon artist, a Rodney Dangerfield impersonator, sampling stations and industry booths, which are just some of the various items that fans can check out.
This year’s Confederation Cup promises to be another memorable event, but the experience could be taken to new heights for some lucky fans.
Flamboro Downs will be giving away 70 passes for a Molson VIP Experience at the 40thConfederation Cup. To learn more and win a Molson VIP Experience pass, follow Flamboro Downs on Facebook and check back regularly for more details.
First-race post time for Confederation Cup Night is 6 p.m. Make sure to visit flamborodowns.com for more details in the coming weeks.
The list of eligible horses to this year’s Confederation Cup appears below.
AIR STRIKE
ART SCENE
BAGS TO RICHES
BECKHAMS Z TAM
BET ON BRETT
BEYOND DELIGHT
BLOOD LINE
BOOGIE SHUFFLE
CALVIN K
CLASSIC PRO
DAIYMIR
DREAMFAIR B J
EDDARD HANOVER
FILIBUSTER HANOVER
FUNKNWAFFLES
HENRY HILL
HURRICANE BEACH
LAWRENCETOWN BEACH
MAROMA BEACH
MODERN REFLECTION
NASCAR SEELSTER
NORMANDY BEACH
ODDS ON DELRAY
PENZANCE HANOVER
R J P
RED JOHN
ROCK N TONY
SPORTS COLUMN
WESTERN HILL
WESTERN JOE
(Woodbine Entertainment)
Totally agree that the 1pm
Totally agree that the 1pm post time would be far better. Traditionally, a lot of people used to be introduced to the sport as young children, at daytime race cards, and would often become lifelong fans and participants. It seems to me that in Ontario, there are very few daytime race cards anymore. So less children are getting exposure to the sport. The Confederation Cup is not the North America Cup, and doesn't need to attempt to follow the same format. Flamboro Downs can redevelop this race into the marquee event that it used to be, when it was raced in the daytime. I believe you'd get larger crowds, larger wager, the race would get more overall exposure, and would be an overall better experience. I attended the 2015 Confederation Cup, and although I did enjoy myself, I felt the event didn't live up to my expectations. And the post time was a factor in that.
Not only did you lose me, but
Not only did you lose me, but you lost all my family and all my friends when you switched the Cup to night racing. This was a race we looked forward to all year long. We all met at noon at the track for a family outing and enjoyed the afternoon racing for thirty years. We could never understand why it was changed to night racing. Driving back in to Toronto and surrounding areas after 11 PM is something we choose not to do. I have talked to many dozens of people who agree that they miss the afternoon event.
A 1 o’clock post time would
A 1 o’clock post time would be more conducive to larger and younger crowds, as well as children.
I quit attending the
I quit attending the Confederation Cup when the format was changed to eliminate the heat format.