Truro Raceway will be the hosts for the Nova Scotia vs Ontario Drivers Challenge this Sunday, June 4th, with 4 top drivers from Woodbine Mohawk Park flying in to represent Team Ontario, while 4 of the top drivers in Nova Scotia will represent Team Nova Scotiaon the full 9 race challenge.
The event is presented by the Nova Scotia Harness Racing Industry Association and is a fundraising event on behalf ofKidsport, Nova Scotia - an organization that provide grants to help cover the costs of sport registration and equipment fees so that all kids aged 18 and under in Nova Scotia can play a season of sport. There will be limited quantities of commemorative T-Shirts sold for the event and there will be 50/50 and a charity BBQ, with all proceeds to Kidsport.
Taking part for Team Ontario will be back-to-back O'Brien award winner as Canada's top driver, James MacDonald, along with perennial star drivers Bob McClure, Doug McNair and Louis-Philippe Roy. Representing Team Nova Scotia will be 2022 Truro Raceway Driving Champion Paul Langille, as well as long-time Truro regular and former driving champion Ernie Laffin. Inverness Raceway will be represented by their 2022 Driving Champion Redmond Doucet, whiledriver Mark Pezzarello will carry the torch on behalf of Northside Downs.
The event has been a long time in the making, as it was originally scheduled for 2020, but was derailed due to Covid 19. For event organizer Christina Saftic, she's very pleased to see it finally be able to happen. "This event is long overdue, as it was originally scheduled for 2020. To see it finally come to fruition is very exciting. Being from Truro, it is always great to get home for a fun race card, but to be able to organize something for so many people in the province, to get out and enjoy with a focus on harness racing was the ultimate goal. It also looks like we will also have a wide range of viewers tuning in from near and far on-line as well, so that is a bonus!" commented Saftic, who works for Ontario Racing.
For Kingston, PEI native James MacDonald it will be an East Coast homecoming of sorts, with lots of fans expected to come out and support him from all over the Atlantic provinces. He is looking forward to being part of the event. "I'm really excited to be heading back to the East Coast. I hope we can all put on a great show for the fans. They have supported me throughout my career and I'm looking forward to seeing them in person. It's also nice to be able to contribute to raising funds for a great charity. It's going to be a fun day." said MacDonald.
Truro Raceway's 2022 driving champion Paul Langille thinks it's a wide-open event that anyone can win based on how the draw came out for horses and post positions. "It's a good-looking race card with 8 drives for each driver. Everyone has a chance I think. I have a couple horses myself that look like they could be ok, but I'm sure everyone feels the same way. I'm sure there will be a lot of kids here to see the Ontario drivers driving here." commented Langille.
This Sunday will be Driver Bob McClure's first ever visit to Truro Raceway and he's looking forward to being part of Sunday's event. "I'm looking forward to meeting some new people and experiencing Truro Raceway and the area for the first time. Driver Challenges are always competitive and a lot of fun and with the funds going to Kidsport, Nova Scotia and helping kids play sports, I'm happy to be a part of it." said McClure.
Driver Ernie Laffin has driven at Truro Raceway since 1990 and has long been a mainstay in the drivers colony. For Laffin, being part of the challenge is a special moment in his career. "It will be an exciting day for Truro Raceway and our fans. We'll have many of the best drivers in Canada taking on many of the top drivers in Nova Scotia. I'm honoured to be a part of it." commented Laffin.
All nine races on the card will be part of the Drivers Challenge and the team with the most total points from their drivers will be the winner. The point system awarded to the drivers will be as follows:
- 5 points awarded for a first-place finish
- 4 Points awarded for a second-place finish
- 3 points awarded for a third-place finish
- 2 points awarded for a fourth-place finish
- 1 point awarded for a fifth-place finish
If a horse is scratched or there is not a full field and some drivers are not in the race, each of those situations will see the driver awarded 2 points.
The race card post time is 1pm Atlantic/12 noon Eastern and will feature Canada's lowest take-out Pick 5 in race 1 at 12%, with a $1500 Pool Guarantee and a 20 cent minimum, as well as aSuperfecta carry-over in race 2 of $279.45. There is also a 15% low takeout Pick 4 in race 6 with a $750 Guarantee.
The track's pre-game show begins half hour before post time with Melissa Keith and Grady Hachey.
