It’s the Canada Day weekend. I’m in Montreal, walking along the backstretch of Blue Bonnets Raceway.

The track is abandoned, left how it was on its closing day in 2009. Not a person in sight.

Il y a plus d’un an, on m’informait que Standardbred Canada allait accueillir la World Trotting Conference (WTC) 2017 ainsi que le Championnat mondial des conducteurs (WDC) à Charlottetown, Île-du-Prince-Édouard.

Over a year ago I was advised that Standardbred Canada was to host to the 2017 World Trotting Conference (WTC) and World Driving Championship (WDC) in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.

Well, it has been almost 13 months to the day of being told this and we are now hosting delegations from 12 countries around the world to discuss standardbred horse racing on a global perspective.

Why should a horseplayer look forward to the 2017 WDC? How about the thought of overlays, and big payouts from races that may not be so unpredictable after all? By Garnet Barnsdale

A well-known sports personality at home, this man of few words looks to become the first WDC champion from his small island nation. By Chris Lomon

The Belgian representative is a rookie to the WDC, but he comes from a country that has produced many world-famous horsemen. By Melissa Keith

After winning Austria’s driving title 23 times, Mayr may consider himself to be getting older, but he sure knows where the winner’s circle is. By Melissa Keith

Following in the footsteps of family members before him, it’s now Marcus Miller’s time to wear the red, white & blue. By Debbie Little

Fresh off of an upset win in his country’s famed Elitlopp, Goop is striving to become his nation’s first WDC champ. By Melissa Keith

Winner of the Australian Driving Premiership, this rugby fan, and former player, brings his competitive nature to Canada. By Keith McCalmont