By Diane Daniels
Family and friends of the late Scotty Kane are joining with Truro Raceway to present the Scotty Kane Memorial Day tomorrow.
Kane, an avid harness racing enthusiast, race announcer, columnist and promotions co-ordinator, died in 2007 at the age of 66.
Horsemen and race fans alike share many fond memories of Kane including Joe Kelly, Truro's race secretary and announcer. Kelly was already a race fan in the early 1980s when Kane provided him the opportunity to announce races at Sackville Downs.
Tomorrow's top class programmed as Race 13 is being featured as the Scotty Kane Memorial Pace and will include the morning line favourite Barbara Pearl's Maritimer along with Dr. James Shive's invitational pacer P H Bestman.
Kenny Greene's St. Lads Dagwood and Ryan Ellis' San Marco Hanover both show wins of 1:57.2 this year and have the heart and credentials to create an upset.
The winning connections of each of Sunday's 14 dashes will receive a Scott Kane Memorial commemorative plaque with a monogrammed blanket also being presented in victory lane to the winners of the memorial race.
Post time is 1:30 p.m. with qualifying rounds on deck for noon.
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With the annual Dutch Mason Blues Festival taking place on the Exhibition/Raceway grounds next weekend, there will be no live card of harness racing on Aug. 12.
However, simulcast programming will continue through August 10, 11 and 12 with patrons being provided easy access to the raceway through the Main Street gate. Parking will also be available on the trackside of the Douglas Grandstand for customer convenience.
Live harness racing returns to Truro Raceway during the Nova Scotia Provincial Exhibition with a card slated for Thursday, Aug. 23. Post time is 1:30 p.m.
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July's tabulations of the Clarence Farm Services Ltd. awards show 2011 leading driver Ryan Ellis topping the leader board with157 points.
Ellis hit the money 41 times out of 50 starts and posted 17 wins to capture the Cool Driver recognition.
Kenny Greene's St. Lads Dagwood picked up 22 points to claim the Hot Horse honour, edging out San Marco Hanover and Putnams Force who are deadlocked with 20 point each.
Over 70 per cent of the starters out of the Danny Romo camp during the month finished in the top five, earning the Shubenacadie horseman top trainer for July.
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Since 1926, the $1.5 million Hambeltonian Stake has been a extraordinary collage of trotters, their connections and their stories as they make their way on the road to the richest trot event in harness racing. Today, the Meadowlands Racetrack in New Jersey will host this classic showcasing the finest three-year-old trotting colts in North America.
The event programs a dynamic pair of Canadian entries as the duo of Jody Jamieson, formerly of Bible Hill, and Jeffrey Gillis send out the Kadabra offspring Knows Nothing in the 10-horse field and the driver/trainer team of Sylvain Filion and Dustin Jones will start Prestidigitator, also a son of Kadabra, who is the leading trot sire in Ontario.
Truro Raceway will televise the action live via satellite starting at 1 p.m.
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Horseman Dave Carey passed along an interesting bit of harness racing trivia from the past week of racing in New Brunswick.
Two Atlantic Sires Stakes winners of the Three-Year-Old Trot Divisions held in Woodstock share an unusual relationship. Amherst owner MaryLea Ripley's Majian Wizard is a full brother to the dam of Sweetwater Rukkus owned by Ralph Annear of P.E.I.
Diane Daniels is the race officer supervisor at Truro Raceway.
