Riversathome won the Leamington Raceway season opener on Sunday afternoon (August 6), trotting from last to first in the final half-mile with Mark Williams sulky-sitting for trainer/owner Michel Lariviere.
Riversathome rallied from the back of the six-pack to win by three lengths in 2:02.2, sparking an 11-1 upset as the second-longest shot on the board. A $2 win ticket on the Keystone Nordic gelding paid $24.80. Justice Delight, overlooked at odds 14-1, finished second after leading for most of the mile while race favourite Toss It Back followed in third.
The feature race was named for harness racing announcer Roger Huston, the 'Voice of the Little Brown Jug' who was a special guest on Opening Day to call races and sign autographs. Bestofthebunch ($5.70) lived up to his name in the $4,500 Roger Huston Pace, going wire-to-wire in 1:58.3 with Tyler Borth driving for trainer Tim Myers and owner Boris Laus of South Woodslee, Ont. The six-year-old Artistic Fella gelding, who notched his 25th career victory, won by three and a half lengths over Oldfriendskentucky and Pay Later.
Leamington's 2016 leading trainer Gord McDonnell swept the late Daily Double, which paid $10.30 for the winning 3-3 combination of favourites Terra Cotta Lad and Sandfire. Nick Steward drove both winners to complete a grand slam and take the early lead in the driver standings. Last season's top driver Mark MacQuarrie was also triumphant during the 2017 season opener with Ideal Fantasy ($6.70) for the William Leon stable.
Live harness racing will continue on Sundays at Leamington through October 29. Post time for the first race each day is 1:30 p.m.
To view Sunday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Sunday Results - Leamington Raceway.