In this week's edition of Rewind, Robert Smith takes a look back at some of the personalities and events from the decade of the 1970's in the ongoing monthly feature Years Ago.
1970 - Single Shaft Sulky Debuts
June 20, 1970 - Fans and horse people in attendance this evening at Garden City Raceway became part of history when a new age single shaft sulky made its initial winning appearance. This marks the first major change in sulky design of the 20th Century. The winning effort was turned in by Meadowview Ben, owned by Chas. Reid of Orono, Ont. and driven by Bill Hicks.
The new and revolutionary design was the result of many years of research and development by Charles King. Although it was regarded as a new innovation, this same idea was publicized many years previous to this time. Mr. King, an aeronautical engineer, persuaded New York State horseman Levi Harner to experiment with his invention way back in 1958. At that time it was not accepted in actual competition.
Left: Meadowview Ben and pilot Wm. Hicks complete with a new single shaft sulky show their winning form. The mile time of 2:05 was a new clocking for the Philip Frost gelding. Right: Baldwin Hanover and Levi Harner are shown with an earlier version of the King single shaft sulky (Harness Horse)
1971 - Western Fair Update
Oct. 8, 1971 - An old program from this date provides some interesting reading. The summary of these two Saturday night races is like a walk down memory lane for anyone who remembers back then. Both races shown in order of finish.
Preferred 1 - Purse $1,400
1- Kent Express (Ken Hardy)
2- Pleasant Bay (Peter Miller)
3- Brenda Hat (Bud Fritz)
4- Miss Pal (Russ Morgan)
5- Duchess Dale (Gerald Aiken)
6- Mr Goldfigure (Ray McLean)
Time : 2:08.4
Invitational - Purse $2,000
1- Popular Brad (Bud Fritz)
2- Hogan (Gerald Aiken)
3- Trefoil Danny (Ron Stevens)
4- Robust King (Ken Hardy)
5- Derby Jerry (Wm. Habkirk)
6- Frosted Flakes (Don Corbett)
Time : 2:08.3
Note: In this race the horses all finished in their starting order. When this happens what's known as a 'Lawrence Welk Triactor' occurs. 'A One and a Two and a Three!"
Just a short list of other drivers gleaned from this program - Marty Adler, Andy Avery, Joe Carr, Rod Duford, John Fraleigh, Ken Gowan, Andy Hardy, Earl Hyatt, Bob Killby, Fred List, Cam McKnight, Rick Moffatt, Ross Roselle, Rod Steward, Paul Walker.
1973 - Kawartha Downs Enjoys First Full Season
The year 1973 marked the first full season of racing at the Fraserville oval as construction delays curtailed the inaugural season with a later than planned opening. This season proved to be an outstanding one with a number of special events and visits by celebrity drivers. Herve Filion made two appearances and, on each occasion, the fans turned out in record numbers and set new wagering marks. On one of his visits he was delayed by plane problems so post time was moved back to accommodate his late arrival.
"Champion Driver Day" saw a field of drivers never seen before in the Peterborough area. The cast included a return by Herve who was joined by Ross Curran, Ron Waples, Bill Wellwood, Wes Coke, Ron Feagan, Carman Hie and Brent Davies. The crowd responded with a handle just a few dollars under $100,000. A new track record of 2:01.3 was set in August by Brimstone A. driven by Dave Downey for owner John Bosworth. Sunday afternoon racing started in January, a first for the area and it was termed an instant success.
1975 - Senior Citizens Enjoy Special Night at Mohawk
October 15, 1975 - On this evening Mohawk management created a rather special evening for an unusually large gathering of 'Senior Citizens' and made them all feel very special. The entire program had a 'senior's' theme to it, and over 1,400 of the 4,643 fans in attendance were given preferential treatment based on their age. They were given free admission, free parking, a complimentary program and even free soft drinks of their choice. In a special race for senior equine competitors, the 14-year-old trotter Kon Tiki was the winner towing an old fashioned high wheeled sulky reminiscent of days gone by. Veterinarian Dr. Cecil Heslop of nearby Milton, a long time participant in the sport and a current officer of the W.J. Hyatt Assoc. was on hand to make a special presentation to driver Brent Davies who was also in theme costume with his old style top hat.
1977 - Young Drivers Top Leader Board at Windsor
February 9, 1977 - A number of rather young drivers are leading in several categories in the current driver's statistics at Windsor Raceway. Based on a required 38 or more drives, 28-year-old Ken Hardy of Lucan, Ont. leads all drivers with a 0.369 average. His 28 wins in 117 tries is also good enough for third place behind Bill Gale's leading 35 wins. John Campbell, who is soon to turn 22, is second in win tallies with 33. Other drivers in the top 10 include Ohioan Chet "Ditchdigger" Dewbre, Randy Fulmer, Doug Hie, Lyle Grineage, Dennis Nadon, Andy Hardy and Richard Carroll. Dewbre, at age 52, is the "greybeard" of the group.
Race fans at Windsor can purchase a stylish baseball cap at the Admissions office for the bargain price of $ 4.25. Green only.
Those were the days,I do
Those were the days,I do remember them, at that time I was an assistant trainer (so they called it) to Mr. Gerald Aiken's, a real good friend. He had a pacer that we later converted to a trotter while racing in Montreal at Blue Bonnets, his name was WONDERFUL GENE, a son of Gene Abey. Thank you once again Mr. Smith. Have a good day.
The days when you spent five
The days when you spent five dollars or more before you even got close enough to see a horse. Admission, parking, programs. Only the latter costs money these days. The names in those two races at Western Fair bring back a lot of memories. Certainly one of the very few times that Mr Goldfigure finished last in a race. The single shaft sulky didn't last long. I think it was Dave Wall who used one in Clinton on a Sunday afternoon. It was the only thing anyone could talk about.