Fans that flocked to Clinton Raceway on Sunday (June 16) sure didn’t have to wait long to get treated to the afternoon’s featured races, as the card kicked off with Sharpes Series action, followed by the Karl MacNaughton Memorial Trot.
A field of five took to the track for Race 1, which featured pacing fillies and mares in second-leg action of the Sharpes Series. All eyes were on the Post 3 starter, Significance, an Andrew McCabe-trained daughter of Mach Three that took heavy action at the windows.
After having gone unraced last season as a two-year-old, Significance has been eager to get at it this year at three. She had won all six of her starts heading into her Sunday tilt, and it’s safe to say that the public was fully aware.
Significance had been hammered down to five cents on the dollar before the wings of the starting gate sprung for Sunday’s Sharpe Series action. Her regular pilot, Colin Kelly, was in the sulky for the tilt. The duo knew what to do, and they didn’t disappoint.
Kelly and Significance shot out to the lead over the ‘fast’ track and did all the work on the point. They spun off the fractions in :28.3, :58.4 and 1:27.2 before cruising home in :29.2. The win time was 1:56.4 and the margin of victory was three lengths.
The Ryan Holliday-driven Rella Tivity took a pocket ride from Post 5 and finished second while racing at odds of 18-1. The 26-1 Poison By The Page overcame early interference to finish third, albeit almost 15 lengths in arrears of the victress.
Significance’s win time of 1:56.4 was just two-fifths of a second slower than her life’s mark, which was taken on May 31 over The Raceway at Western Fair District.
Significance’s Sunday victory raised her career earnings to $35,600 for owners Glenview Livestock Ltd. (of Wallenstein, Ont.) and Cheryl Cherry (Guelph, Ont.).
Significance’s mile was quickly followed by the Karl MacNaughton Memorial Trot in Race 2.
MacNaughton, the late Clinton owner/trainer, was a constant figure around Clinton’s iconic red barn and paddock. His career in harness racing spanned an impressive 40 years and included many winners at Clinton. After a brief but courageous battle with cancer, MacNaughton passed away peacefully at the Huron Residential Hospice, just west of Clinton, in March of 2019.
Just like the Sharpes Series dash before it, the Karl MacNaughton Memorial Trot saw another gate to wire winner, as Holiday Holly and driver Garrett Rooney converted a Post 1 start into a one-length victory in 2:01.2. The seven-year-old Holiday Road mare cut the fractions in :29.4, 1:00.3 and 1:31.2 before nothing the victory for trainer Paul Walter (of London, Ont.) and co-owner Nancy Knockwood (London, Ont.).
Wagering numbers continued to be strong at Clinton, as more than $36,000 was pushed through the windows on Sunday during the 10-race card.
The afternoon, which was dedicated to dads in honour of Father's Day, featured beer tasting from MacLean's Ales, a smoker giveaway and trackside fundraiser for the Huron Residential Hospice. Thanks to the generosity of fans and sponsors, the event raised over $2,000 for the facility, located just west of Clinton.
Clinton’s 2019 season will continue next Sunday with the highly anticipated biennial event, Legends Day. The Huron County oval will play host to some of the must successful drivers in harness racing and will raise funds for the Clinton Public Hospital Foundation. Full event details can be found at clintonraceway.com.
To view the harness racing results for Sunday at Clinton, click the following link: Sunday Results – Clinton Raceway.
(With files from Clinton Raceway)