Inverness Oran Sports

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Inverness Raceway hits finish line with a flourish after banner year

Inverness Raceway presented the Inverness Consolidated Memorial Hospital Charitable Foundation with a cheque for $27,467.76 – a result of the Harness the Hope breast cancer fundraiser. The amount was the most money raised by any track in Canada. Taking part in the presentation are, from left: raceway executive members D.F. Beaton, Barry Watson, Shawn MacDonald, ICMHCF member Brenda Rankin-MacDonald, track manager Meagan MacQuarrie, executive member Ann Copley, ICMHCF member Cathy Poirier, and executive member Lewis MacDonell.


October 30, 2024

-by Bill Dunphy
    By all accounts, Inverness Raceway wrapped up the 2024 campaign with record crowds, a record handle, and great racing.
    “We had the product,” said raceway president Barry Watson.
    “An increase in purse money saw new people get into the sport and people who were in at one time get back into it.”
    Purses, on average, were around $10,000 per race card, compared to $6,000 to $8,000 last year, and $5,000 a few years ago.
    “We saw more young people coming up on a Wednesday night to enjoy themselves under the lights (and) we also have a tourist population that discovered the raceway as a unique experience to enjoy.”
    Watson acknowledged that there is still work to be done to enhance the fan experience, especially with regard to the sound system.
    He said they have been given a quote of $74,000 to completely redo the outdated system.
    “We have to have a serious fundraiser for that. We will meet with the municipality and hope that there’s some money in the pot to help us. We’ll do our part,” Watson said.
    Track manager Meagan MacQuarrie agreed with Watson that Wednesday night racing has gained in popularity.
    “Wednesday nights were great, and I’m seeing more families coming out since there’s not much else to do as a family in Inverness after 7 p.m.”
    In another highlight of the season, MacQuarrie was instrumental in making the Harness the Hope breast cancer fundraiser a huge success. The event raised $27,467.76 – the most raised by any track in Canada – which goes to the Inverness Consolidated Memorial Hospital Charitable Foundation to support programs for young women faced with a cancer diagnosis, along with awareness and treatment programs.
    Along with her many other duties, MacQuarrie organized an online auction, brought in sponsors,  held a raffle, and featured a race day with various fundraising events that saw some horse owners and trainers deck their horses out in pink harnesses, pink ribbons in their manes and tails, and drivers wearing pink.
    Along with a cheque presentation to the hospital, there was lots going on trackside at Inverness Raceway on Sunday.
    Sunshine Lou opened the 2024 harness racing season at Inverness Raceway with a win the top class and closed out the year the same way on Sunday.
    Campbell MacIsaac worked out a winning pocket trip for Sunshine Lou in the $2,750 winners-over pace behind the quick but steppy leaver, Windemere Best Man. Zach Mullins kept the leading Windemere Best Man pacing through the first turn and set fractions of :28.4, :58.1, and 1:28.2 while a challenge never materialized from the first-over favourite, Rotten Ronnie with Redmond Doucet, as they headed down the backside the final time.
    Instead, the challenge came from the pocket-popping Sunshine Lou when the pacers turned for home as he collared Windemere Best Man and drew off to win by 2-3/4 lengths in 1:59.1 with a salute from MacIsaac in the sulky as they crossed the finish line. Windemere Best Man settled for second while mid-race trailer Shir Gain got up for third after a three-wide backstretch blitz in rein to Rodney Gillis.
    Trainer Junior MacKinnon and his wife Leah own the eight-year-old Sunshine Beach-Carte De Mode gelding, who earned his sixth win of the season to go along with 10 other top three finishes in 23 starts competing against Inverness Raceway’s best. Topping $10,000 in earnings at the meet, the career winner of 25 races pushed his lifetime bankroll to $72,780.
    A driving double on Sunday’s seven-race card with I C True Grit from the Lily Watson stable and the Lennan MacIsaac-trained Dirty Bobby helped Redmond Doucet secure another Inverness driving title as he maintained his lead in the 2024 standings over Rodney Gillis, 30-28. Danny Gillis drove a dozen winners at the meet to finish third.
    Doucet was also a big winner in Charlottetown on Saturday, piloting his two-year-old colt One Can Dan to an upset victory in the $22,400 Maritime Breeders pace.
    Trained by Lennan MacIsaac, the Michael Clarey (Montague, PEI) bred Arthur Blue Chip colt led from start to finish in 1:58.2.
    At 25-1 odds, One Can Dan paid $25.10 to win and keyed a $211 exactor and $482 triactor.
    D.F.er Beaton was the leading trainer of the 2024 meet with his stable earning its 22nd win during the season finale with Igot Socks, driven by Rodney Gillis. Zach Mullins finished second in the trainer standings with 11 wins while Lennan MacIsaac’s Sunday winner brought his win count to 10 and Lily Watson tied him for third-place with a pair of winners on the day that included Finer Things (Ardon Mofford) in Sunday’s opener.
    Mary MacQuarrie’s Dashpedia was retired in a winner’s circle ceremony after competing in his last dash for our 87-year-old trainer-owner. The 14-year-old gelded son of Bettors Delight and Salsa Hanover got his early racing lessons at Inverness with Jamie Copley, who later bought him back in a U.S. sale and brought him back to Nova Scotia where he ended up with MacQuarrie for his final seasons on track.
    Dashpedia took a lifetime mark of 1:51.1 at Harrah’s Philadelphia as a six-year-old and retires with 53 wins, 37 seconds, and 45 thirds from 294 starts and earnings totalling $256,924.
    Mary will now be kept busy with her new charge, Spectrum Seelster. An eight-year-old gelding by Mach Three has a lifetime mark of 1:53 set in Woodbine and won in Charlottetown this year with a time of 1:53.2.
    Just as the start of the racing season at Inverness Raceway signifies the start of summer, the last race day marks the start of winter. That means there are only 215 sleeps before June 1st.











 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

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Oran Dan - The Inverness Oran - www.invernessoran.ca

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