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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1997-10-15, Page 14Page 14 Times-Adoocate, October 15, /997 Second annual Panther Funfest pounces this weekend By Craig Bradford T -A Reporter • EXETER - There should he a Panther alert posted between Exeter and Kirkton o¢ Friday. That's because about l,000 .Pan: thers (students and staff) will he making the 18 km walk from South Huron District High School to the Kirkton Community Centre during the first Panther Power Walk. Stu- dents and staff have solicited pledg- es from family and friends over the last few weeks, Hopefully 'they' ye • been training for the mega walk as well. Participants will be treated to a lunch at the Kirkton Communit Centre following the three hour. walk. The fundraising walk kicks off. • the second annual Panther Funfcst Weekend: Here's the rundown of events planned for Saturday:- • Funfest Breakfast. .7 a.m.-11 a.m., SHDHS cafeteria; included are hotcakes, sausages, eggs, home - fries, toast, coffee and juice; cost is $4:50, S2.50 for children under age 10. • 'Community Garage Sale, 7 a.m.-noon, SHDHS main hall; sale= able items gathered by staff and students. A Quarter Raffle and Si- lent Auction featuring items donat- ed by. school staff and the com- munity will take place during the sale. • Funfest road hockey tourna- ment, 9 a.m.-S. p.m. (approximate), SHDHS parking lot; registration costs vary depending on age divi- sion (ages.6-19): prizes to winning teams. • Funfest co-ed volleyball:tourna- ment, 9 a.m.-5 p.m..(approximate). SHDHS large gym; . registration costs $ 100/team: cash prizes to top teams. • • For more information on the tour- naments- or to register. contact George McEwan at SHDHS, 235- 0880. For more information on the garage sale and breakfast, call Jodie Baker. at SHDHS. SHDHS principal Bill Gerth said - -money raised during the Panther Funfest weekend will go to student programs like athletics, ,drama. • clubs and facilities. Last year the Funfest raised about $4,500. "If (Funfest is) successful, we can eliminate other fundraising events" like the traditional choc- olate bit- and citrus drives, • Gerth said. "We're conscious the com- munity Is. inundated with donation requests." Panther tun. South Huron Ois- trict High School Athletics Council chairperson Lori Rich- ardson, left, convenor George McEwan and Athletic Council li aison Dave : Farquhar get wrapped up thinking about the Panther Furifest on Friday and Saturday. This Week in Sports • Grand Bend Chip Shot Hole -In -One raises over $10,000 - page • Boyce backstops Irish to two wins - page 144 Darling's pacers racing to glory, big paydays and national records The T -A catches up with the one-time Exeter resident and horse trainer who has record-setting' harness .racing pacers in• his Windsor.stable • training business since 1973 - but .Western Fair Raceway then added has been around horses since •he training duties with horses at Wind - was three. He still has strong ties to sor and Detroit tracks. He now Exeter since most of his Ifamily . trains pacers in Florida each winter. WINDSOR — Taik about a local -lives in the arca. notably two of his • Darling •said he reached the big boy done good. • / • : brothers, the owners of Darling's leagues by treating' the sport as a. . Professional- ho se-trainerJack Focuiland_ in etcr .end. -ucan — L busjness." ; By Craig Bradford T -A Reporter Darling. originally from Exeter. has helped turn the Canadian harness • racing world on its car by being part of the team that has produced . Northern Luck. the fastest ever•Ca- nadian-sired 3 year-old pacer. • Northern Luck set the record at the Magi -sails Pace at the .Red. Mile track in .Lexington, Ky. Northern -Luck's time of 1:49.2 beats the pre- vious record holder, Ambro Maes- tro. who paced .1:49.4 at the Mea- . dowlands last year. Darling and his partner, Dan .Smith of Dorchester. picked up 5204,150 U.S. for the win. . Northern Luck's time is the sec- ond fastest ever at Red Mile for a . three-year-old. It's also a '97 North - American record. .Northern Luck's three-year-old success comes as no surprise since he was the leading two-year-old winner in his Ontario Stakes division. With the Tat- - tersalls wing NorthernLuck has • won seven of 18 starts as a three- year-old. Northern Luck comes from fine . stock: he was -.sired by Camluck of Lucan's Seelster Farms and bred to St. George's Brian • and Gay Web- ster's dam Town Sweethan. Darling. last year's Canadian Trotting Association's Trainer of the Year, has been in the horse Jim and Jeff Darling. . "I've always been a horse lover." - Darling said. when asked what his secret to success is. "1 seem to get along with horses well." ' He: also has a shrewd eye and keen instincts for top notch stan- dard breds. For the last. five_ years Darling has been buying yearlings from throughout North America and training them.'from scratch for stake racing as two and three -year- olds. He • then sells thc'horses when they reach age four. "That's where the big money is." Dar- ling said. . And he does mean ...big money. While Northern ` Luck may he a record holder. he • has won a' comparable paltry $700.000 (CDN) to Darling's other three-year-old, Gothic- Dream. This season alone Gothic Dream has col- lected 51.4 million including wins at the North American Cup at To- - ronto's Woodbine in June. a leg of the Little Brown Jug in Ohio last• month. the American National in Chicago and the Adis in -Penn- sylvania. • Now based out of Windsor. Dar- ling got his racing start at London's ve avoided some of the pitfalls . along the way." he said.- "You can make and lose money quickly. At . Ames you can, get carried•away." Seelster Farms co-owner and manager Chris VanBussel said Northern L`uck's win has just added , to the demand for Camluck's,lin- edge. • "Camluck has been terrific for siring winners like Northern Luck' VanBussel said. "de's very much in `demand." • VanBussel credits Darling as • "a really good developer of • young horses" and it's a great honor for Seel- ster Farms to be as- sociated with a record - breaker. VanBussel said. Canadian Trotting Association publicity " and research manager Callie Davies -Gooch said Darling is "a very good horseman." "He puts a lot of time and effort into it. He's just a hard worker. He pays. attention to detail and is a very caring trailer." Darling credits his father, the late Fred. for much of his success. "1 think it goes hack -to my fa- ther." he said. "He was critical of it • continued on page 15'. "I think it's a milestone for Canadian breeding for a horse to go • • 1:49. ►, Top tremor. Top photo: Jack Darling, formerly of Exeter, takes Gothic Dream for his morning workout. At left: Dar- ling at the '96 O'Brien Awards banquet in January with his Candian Trotting Association Trainer of the Year trophy. Darling's Windsor stable includes Northern Luck, the fast- est ever 3 -year-old pacer. Northern Luck set the record- setting time of 1:49.2 at the Tattersalls Pace in Lexing- ton, Ky. earlier this month. Gothic Dream and Northem. Luck have won Darling and his partner Dan Smith over $2 million in purses this year alone. (photos originally ap- peared in the Toronto Sun on June 11, 1997. Top photo by Jason Kryk; bottom photo by Monica Thors) Call Sports Reporter Craig Bradford with yoursports tips (519) 235-1331 • Fax (519) 235-0766 Panther runners aim for H.P titles • EXETER — Panther cross country runners arc shoolmc for top Jinihes at the Huron -Perth tnect at Wingham Madill today. . But -South Huron District High School coach Joe Fulop said "predictions don't al nays come True." "Wc thought. we had. two OFSAA contenders last year and came up short." .Fulop. said after the meet at Chicopee ski hill. in Kitchener last week. "The events of the day w ill determine how successful:we are. The. whole: team seems tc he rounding • into top form at•thc'right time." Fulop's predictions for hr.E runners: • "The whole .tunitirgtttsTThe team -a ---v ry—team see -ins -to good" chance at . capturing Huron- be rounding Perth .gold this - season. Fulop. said. and.havcbeen. improving with every into top form at race: Erin Rohilliard :was the H -P - the right time." midget- champ :last year', and could • take the junior title this year. Fu(o` said Kristin Brooks•will he acontendcr as well: • Midget boys. Henny Pfaff has a charne to be top five or better while teammates Josh Verhotig and Marc Hodgins arc capableof keeping up with him. • Junior hoes. Fulop said the junior boys could finish an) where from first to fourth. depending on where' their last iwo runners finish. Dan -,Snell should run to a top three finish while DavRo- hilliard should be 'tithe top 10:. • Senior boys. Christian Stuckless '-is in tough' in senior hoys.hut should finish'in the tip three. ' Results.from the -Chicopee meet: •Juntor girls — Brooks. I Lith• out of 250 I( lifetime hest. performance is E. Rohilliard, 52nd. but was -in the top 15 till sidelined by cramps 'in the last half -mile: Fallon Giles. 62nd. though -still • midget age: Brenda Elford. top 60 pereentid-field • • Midget -boys Pfaff. fop third in field' of 250 (test of year):.Hodgins and Verhoog suffered. minor injuries and finished well off the pace. • Junior boys - Snell. 14th in field of 350: D.- Rohilliard. 34th (hest of year): Matt Ve- -rhoog finished with one of his hotter races of the year while Brian Harrigan and Tim Hundey finished well-off the pace. • ... Senior boys.— Stu.klcss. 31st out of field of 250 (Was leading till over.onic by cramps).- - Hawks extend unbeaten streak to four A 5-4 win over Thamesford on Sunday and a 5-3 triumph over Mt. Brydges on Friday takes Exeter to 4-0 for the season EXETER — The Exeter Jr. D Hawks hockey club are winning even without good stuff: The Hawks are now 4-0 for the young season after home. wins over the "Thamesford Trojans on Sunday and • the Mount. Brydges Bulldogs on Friday. • . . Exeter coach . Dave Revington said his team won despite their worst effort of the season on Sun- day. a 5-4 overtime thriller over the Trojans. "We were pretty flat." Revington said. Jeff Campbell was the star of the night for the Hawks with two goals (including the overtime winner 50 seconds into the extra frame). though Revington said .a third goal credited to Sean McCann could have easily given Campbell a de- served hat -trick. Rookie . Ryan Freiter also potted two goals. "That's .what we need : —• for those young guys to step it up when the veterans don't come- through, Revington said. Solid goaltending by Andy Gla- . vin also contributed to the big -win. "Andy came through when we' needed him to, Revington said. . 1` The Hawks also started Off shaky in the first period versus.. Mount •Brydges on Friday but Revington- ' said they found their legs for a sol- id last two stanzas fora 5-3 win. . Exeter scored four goals in the second and hung on after- a late charge "(and a goal) by the Bull- dogs. Exeter- goal scorers were Freiter. Jeff Finkbeiner. Geoff . Mayer, Chris. McDonald and Greg Goodwin. "Theyhave a pretty •good. team," Revington said of Mount Brydges. "They were missing a few key players though." The Hawks next host the -Bel- mont Bombers on Friday at .8:30 p.nt, and travel to Seaforth on Sat- urday. another -8:30 p.m. start. Exeter Jr. D Hawk Ryan Flatter gets some deserved congratulations from hometown fans while coming off the ice after Exeter beat Thamesford 5-4 in overtime on Sunday. Freiter did more than his share by scoring two goals.