Friday, July 13 marked the exciting conclusion of the week-long Ontario Harness Youth Camp that was held at Grand River Raceway. The campers --- eight local children accompanied by professional drivers --- drove four retired standardbred racehorses in two exhibition races as a huge crowd on the tarmac cheered them to the finish.
Killean Sweep was driven by 11-year-old Jillian Schnurr of Guelph, Ont. She was an exuberant winner, hollering down the stretch to score a narrow victory over her three competitors.
The other participants in the race were Ashley Webb, 12, from Puslinch, Ont., driving Final Straw (aka Finn); Emma Taylor, 12, from Elora, Ont., driving the grey Ram Buster (aka Buster); and Zoe Richards, 12, from Guelph, Ont., driving DM Billy The Kid (aka Billy).
In the second youth camp race, the Schnurr family was back in the winner’s circle. Jillian’s 12-year-old sister, Jamie Schnurr, hung on to a narrowing victory with 12-year-old Killean Sweep, known in the barn as ‘Harry.’
The other campers were Sophia Cornelisse, 12, from Rockwood, Ont., driving Buster; Anika Clayton, 12, from Fergus, Ont., driving Billy; and Elana Oakes, 12, from Guelph, Ont., driving Finn.
During the summer months, the youth camp program travels to several Ontario racetracks, educating children aged 10-13 about standardbred racehorses. The curriculum covers basic care, equipment, and race preparation. Special guest Gayle Ecker, senior manager of Equine Guelph, provided a two-hour presentation about the horse’s digestive system, and the comparison of horse bones to human bones.
The youth camps are funded through the Standardbred Revenue Allocation marketing fund, which is administered by the Ontario Harness Horse Association. The youth camp resources are also used for other initiatives, including open houses, staff training at racetracks, and the ‘So You Think You Can Drive’ program, where randomly-selected fans drive a standardbred racehorse between the races.
Grand River Raceway has another youth camp scheduled for August 7-10. Space is limited, and is on a first-come, first-served basis.
Grand River Raceway will also host an Adult Camp from September 8-10. Space is limited to eight adults (18+).
For more information on either camp, please visit grandriverraceway.com or contact Jennifer Unger at 519-846-5455 (Ext. 222).
(GRR)