Truro Raceway will be the host of an event to celebrate memories of the former Sackville Downs this Sunday, Sept. 15, with a variety of festivities taking place to honour the former Maritime racetrack.
Hall of Fame driver Bill O’Donnell, whose family raced at Sackville will be on hand to sign autographs. Joining him will be Hall of Fame driver/trainer Carl Jamieson, who was stabled and train and drove at the racetrack before moving to Ontario. They will both sign autographs for fans from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
Samspace, the subject of the CTV series “Saving Sammy” will be on hand with his owner Dennis Baxter to greet fans from 1:15 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. He will also lead the post parade for two races featuring former Sackville Downs drivers and/or drivers representing their family members who were prominent Sackville drivers.
Those races will have the following drivers competing in them: Heath Campbell, Dave Carey, Stephen Charlton, Donnie Ellis, Carl Jamieson, Robert Laffin, Clare MacDonald, Kenny MacDonald, Toby MacDonald, Emmons MacKay, Paul MacKenzie, Bernard “Pooker” McCallum, Todd Ratchford, Danny Romo and Henry Smallwood.
In the grandstand, there will be a historical display of Sackville Downs pictures and items for fans to browse. Historian Scott Green will be on hand to discuss and answer any questions about the display.
The event will also have nine memorial blanket presentations honouring former Sackville Downs connections.
The first 300 fans will receive a free Winners Accolade post card, with the artwork created by Michelle Hogan of harnessartist.com to commemorate the day.
There will also be a silent auction, with all proceeds split equally between the Colchester and Sackville Food Banks.
Former Sackville Downs track announcer Clary Flemming will call the action of the two Sackville driver races and will co-host the race day broadcast alongside Kris Lamont. Former longtime CTV Atlantic news anchor Jayson Baxter will be on hand to conduct interviews from the winner’s circle throughout the day, as well as meet fans.
The event will also be part of the Nova Scotia Triple Threat Weekend. For Truro’s Sackville Downs card, HPIBet customers wagering more than $40 on the race card will receive five per cent cash back. The first 100 customers onsite after 11 a.m. will receive a free $5 betting voucher, to be used on Sept. 15 only. There will also be a ballot in the program to fill out for a chance to win a 40" full HD TV.
For multiple former Sackville Downs driving champion Dave Carey, this event will be his final career drive after a storied career of 3,043 career wins and $2,617,082 in driving earnings. Although his career started at Truro Raceway initially, Sackville Downs became his home and a place where his career thrived.
"My father started racing at Sackville," said Carey. "He worked with draft horses most of his life, but when he moved to Halifax, he got involved with Laurie O’Brien, who was stabled down there, just up from the racetrack and that’s how he ended up in Standardbreds. I used to go down in the summer and that’s when it all started.
"After I got my licence, I went out to Sunrise Farms for a couple years and then I opened a public stable at Sackville Downs and stayed there until it closed. It was good. We raced three times a week and didn’t have to truck anywhere and made good money. It was a shame. As an industry we need that track in the Halifax area. It’s that simple."
Another former Sackville Downs driver/trainer in action this weekend will be trainer Danny Romo. The veteran horseman has 3,770 career driving wins and $6,374,380 in driving purse earnings and has campaigned such standouts as Firms Phantom and Woodmere Stealdeal. He is looking forward to being part of the festivities and catching up with old friends.
"There were a lot of guys who had to leave Sackville when they shut down who really didn’t want to leave and I think this event will be good for many of them, to come home and get together and tell stories about the times at Sackville," said Romo. “It was a big thing back then, with a lot of good horsemen there, and I think their sons, daughters and grandkids will come and see some pictures of things their father did. It should be a real good day."
The pre-game show with Clary Flemming and Kris Lamont will kick off at 12:30 p.m. (Atlantic Time) for the nine-race card.
To view Sunday's harness racing entries, click the following link: Sunday Entries - Truro Raceway.
(Truro Raceway)