The second of the four 2026 Regional Driving Championships (RDC) is underway as Century Downs Racetrack & Casino hosts the Western Regional Driving Championship (WRDC) today (May 23).
WRDC Leg 1 (Race 3)
No Free Tricks ($30.10) wasn't one of the horses in the draft but Kelly Hoerdt knew what he had when his first race entry was scratched and No Free Tricks drew into the race. Leaving from post four, Hoerdt sent the 14-1 shot to the top, yielded the lead briefly to Shirley Wicked (Phil Giesbrecht) and then retook the lead before the halfway mark. With pressure looming from favoured Tahuya Velocious (James Jungquist), No Free Tricks repelled that rival down the backside and then held off Chasing Midnight (Scott Knight) to win a lifetime best 1:55.2. Chasing Midnight finished second with Rezies Gal (Darryl Mason) in for third.
WRDC Leg 2 (Race 4)
Mike Hennessy found the front early with post five starter Foothills Magic ($7) and would not relinquish that position no matter how hard 1-2 favourite Mylittle Gingerman (Kelly Hoerdt) tried. Those two tussled for nearly five-eighths of the mile, slugging it out down the stretch and finishing noses apart at the wire. In the end, Foothills Magic held off the public choice with Wits Beach (Logan Gillis) hitting the bottom of the triactor ticket.
WRDC Leg 3 (Race 5)
Airline Pilot ($63.60) was dismissed at 30-1 in his test on Saturday, but driver James Jungquist drove the horse like a 1-9 shot and the six-year-old delivered a stellar wire-to-wire score in 1:55.1. Credit Is Magic (Giesbrecht) stayed for second with Tuff As Buff (Mason) holding off Billy Buxton (Knight) for third.
WRDC POINT TOTALS (after three of eight legs)
Kelly Hoerdt - 28
James Jungquist - 22
Phil Giesbrecht -20
Mike Hennessy - 19
Darryl Mason - 18
Scott Knight - 17
Logan Gillis - 11
Nathan Sobey - 6
Post time for Race 1 on Saturday’s WRDC card is 12:45 p.m. (MDT) / 2:45 p.m. (EDT). The first WRDC race is scheduled for Race 3 at approximately 1:30 p.m. (MDT) / 3:30 P.M. (EDT) The WRDC races will continue through Race 10. The top two drivers by points after the final WRDC race will be awarded their respective Golden or Silver ticket and advance to the National Driving Championship on Sunday, July 26, at Clinton Raceway, in Clinton, Ont.
Eight drivers will participate in eight competition races after drafting their horses for the competition in a fantasy draft format on Wednesday, May 20. The 2026 WRDC competitors are: Phil Giesbrecht, Logan Gillis, Mike Hennessy, Kelly Hoerdt, James Jungquist, Scott Knight, Darryl Mason and Nathan Sobey. Each driver was not required to drive from each post position.
To view Saturday’s entries, click one of the following links: Century Downs Racetrack & Casino - Saturday Entries || Program Pages (courtesy TrackIT).
THE ROAD TO THE NATIONAL DRIVING CHAMPIONSHIP
Tyler Borth and Jody Jamieson advanced to the NDC by virtue of finishing first and second in the Ontario Regional Driving Championship at Western Fair on May 5. The next RDC will take place on Sunday, June 14 with the Quebec / Eastern Ontario Regional at Hippodrome 3R in Trois-Rivières, Que., followed by the Atlantic Regional on Tuesday, June 23 at Red Shores Summerside in Summerside, P.E.I.
The top two point earners from each RDC will advance to the 2026 National Driving Championship (NDC) on Sunday, July 26 at Clinton Raceway in Clinton, Ont. The winner of the NDC will represent Canada at the 2027 World Driving Championship (WDC), which will be hosted by Standardbred Canada. Canada's James MacDonald received an automatic bye into the 2027 WDC as the the reigning World Driving Champion.
SCORING
The Regional Driving Championships and the National Driving Championship will adopt the point system utilized in the World Driving Championship. Points will be awarded on the order of finish as follows:
- Number of Starters: 8
15 points (1st), 10 (2), 7 (3), 5 (4), 4 (5), 3 (6), 2 (7), 1 (8).
- Number of Starters: 7
14 points (1st), 9 (2), 6 (3), 4 (4), 3 (5), 2 (6), 1 (7).
In the event of a scratch, the driving rep drawn to a horse shall drive the ‘also eligible’ horse.
In the event of a horse being scratched or where no horse is available, five points shall be awarded to the driver concerned. If a horse is disqualified or a horse and driver fail to complete the race, they will receive one point.
In the event of a dead heat for any placing in any race, the points for the horses involved will be added together and divided equally among the drivers concerned (eg. If there’s a dead heat for third between two horses, the points for third and fourth place will be added and divided among the drivers).
(Standardbred Canada Press Release)