The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutClinton News Record, 2016-06-29, Page 21Wednesday, June 29, 2016 • News Record 23 Kin Pace entry a thrill for local owner -breeder Morag and Jim Watt have been breeding and raising Standardbred racehorses on their Clinton area farm for three decades and are fix- tures on Clinton Raceway's Sunday afternoon programs. This Sunday, however, their homebred filly Watt Machs Me Win will line up along- side some of Ontario's finest three-year-old pacing fillies in an elimination for the track's signature event, the Kin Pace. "It's really exciting to be able to have one to race in the Kin Pace, right here at home," said Morag Watt. "You work your whole racing career, you strive to have good horses, and to have one that's good enough to even enter is kind of a little thrill." Watt Machs Me Win heads into the $8,000 elimination with five starts under her belt this season, one over the half -mile oval at The Race- way at Western Fair District and four on the seven - eighths mile surface at Mohawk Racetrack. While she's yet to find the winner's circle, the filly has been showing steady progress. "She's just started back this year, she's only had a couple of starts, so she's still sort of racing into form," noted Watt. "We're looking forward to her three-year- old year. "We tend not to push our two -year-olds overly hard, we like to let them mature a little bit before we really ask them to exert themselves, so we sort of were conservative with her last year in her starts and in her training," Watt added. "Hopefully with a little bit of maturity she's ready to roll this year." Jim Watt taught Watt Machs Me Win her early les- sons and handled training duties on the daughter of Mach Three and Feisty Form through her two-year-old campaign, but the couple opted to send her to trainer Richard Moreau in early May, after the first start of her sophomore season. "It's very unusual for us to send a horse away, but we felt that this filly showed enough potential that we wanted to give her every opportunity this summer to race in the stakes," explained Morag Watt. "It just seemed like a good strategy to send her away for the stakes sea- son to see if she could reach her potential." The Watts hope the filly's knowledge of Clinton Race- way's half -mile surface will work to her advantage in Sunday's second race, where she faces a field that includes two fillies from the division's top tier. At the rail, Bad As Leader comes into the Kin Pace Elimina- tion off a sixth-place result in the $438,000 Fan Hano- ver Final at Mohawk on June 25 and, from Post 4, Cracklin Rosie rides in on a two -race win streak includ- ing a victory in the opening leg of the Gold Series at Mohawk on June 4. Dog rescuer has no regrets Lynda Hillman-Rapley Postmedia Network "It was all about the dog;" said the man who smashed a rock through the window of a locked 2014 BMW to free a small dog in Grand Bend Saturday June 11. The video of the rescue has gone viral with more than 600,000 views. Huron County man, Mark Lewis, media sponsor from a local radio station, was co - announcing the opening of the new Rotary stage at the Grand Bend beach when, he said, they announced a white dog was inside a black BMW at one of the beach parking lots. "We asked that the owner return to their vehicle to free the dog," Lewis said, adding the beach temperature was 28 degrees. He said when the next musical set was complete, another beach goer announced to him that the dog was still in the car. "So I took a walk and found a small group of people standing around this car, where there was a small white dog panting." He went back to the stage and again sent out a plea for the own- ers, If they were in ear shot to come back to their car." However no one came forward. Lewis explained the park- ing permit time stamp on the windshield was 4:57 p.m. and when he began trying to break the window with a stainless steel travel mug it was 6:20 p.m. "The owner of the car had not returned and there were no by-law or police around," he said. Someone handed me the rock and I began to hit the window at around 6:30. It danced back at me and then broke and I was able to use a smaller piece to break the window. He said once the window was broken he could see the dog was "spooked" but he was able to get him and bring him to safety. "The dog was wet and someone told me they had seen the couple take the dog to the water's edge for a quick swim before locking him in the car. We hydrated him and he seemed fine." Lewis then called the OPP and gave them the informa- tion including his name but did not state he was the one who broke the window. "That was at 6:45 p.m. and they arrived half an hour later, just as the owners of the car also arrived." "The couple looked sur- prised to see their dog, and then the smashed window," he said, "The woman told me it was her dog and I asked her if she realized she left her dog in a hot car with the windows rolled up? She did not respond. She offered to take her dog but the police had other ideas," he said. The OPP said in light of the circumstances, the owner of the BMW decided that he had no concerns as to his damaged vehicle. The dog was returned to the owner pending an investi- gation by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA)- London Humane Society. The OPP will consult and continue to investigate this incident with the assistance of the SPCA. Lewis said he did not know the video had gone viral until Sunday morning when friends began to call. "People were telling me I did the right thing, but I began to be concerned because I damaged private property. I soon realized the repercussions would not have mattered; it was all about the dog. I don't regret stepping up to the plate." The OPP are reminding all pet owners that an animal left in a closed motor vehi- cle, in direct sunlight and with no water can quickly become distressed. Section 445 of the Criminal Code of Canada provides that any- one who willfully and unlawfully causes pain or suffering to an animal can be brought before a Court with a maximum penalty of $10,000 or imprisonment from 18 months to five years. In addition, the OPP are encouraging our community partners to exercise discretion in such cases. The OPP would prefer that if E O cpa a O a 0 "That's all part of racing, you just have to accept it," said a pragmatic Watt about the deep field. "Sometimes it doesn't play out the way that you imagine it will before the race, so that's when you depend on the driver's expertise to use his best judgment when he's behind the gate. "That's what makes it exciting and gives everyone an opportunity, because anything can happen," she added. Travis Henry will steer Watt Machs Me Win from Post 6 in Sunday's test, with the top two fillies from each of the three eliminations, along with two third-place finishers selected by random draw, advancing into the circumstances permit, that they be called for assistance $60,000 Kin Pace Final on July 3. Sunday's eliminations are the eighth edition of the Kin Pace, named in honour of the Clinton Kinsmen, who introduced pari-mutuel wagering to Clinton Race- way in 1970. The Final takes place on the last day of the Kinsmen and Kinettes annual PIucKIN' Fest, which features a jam-packed week- end of activities kicking off with a Chicken BBQ and Craft Beer Night in the Clin- ton Raceway grandstand on Thursday evening. For more information about the Kin Pace Elimina- tions please contact Clinton Raceway at 519- 482-5270 or visit www.clintonraceway. com. prior to anyone causing damage to real property. you is what we do.TM OFFICE 519-482-3400 1 Albert St., Clinton our listings go to: www.rlpheartland.ca Ilammor„m,ul inn ROYALLEPA€ Ea Helping Tr�r. tilt 11 111 HBHrtlsrid Realty IHIlifiliEr Mil w To view all Att Fred Lobb** Cell: 519-955-0012 Rick Lobb*** Cell: 519-525-1174 Richard Lobb Sr.* Sherry McLaughlin* Cell: 519-955-0163 Cell: 519-301-2879 OPEN HOUSE;- ire SAT., JULY 2"° 10AM-1 PM 260 Albert St., Clinton $244,900 MLS#117647 �miriI ''� 1's NEW LISTING 285 Elizabeth St., Londesborough 5119,400 Call Sherry MLS#295654 NEW PRICE 91 Dunlop St., Clinton $210,000 Call Richard Sr. MLS#839311 50 ACRE HOBBY FARM 80804 Maitland Ave., Clinton $689,000 Call Fred or Rick MLS#202989 3 BR FAMILY HOME 20 Mohawk Cres., Clinton $249,800 Call Sherry MLS#940762 TAKE OUT RESTAURANT 267 Huron St., Clinton $425,000 Call Fred or Rick MLS#590053 IDEAL 3 BR 100 Joseph St., Clinton $175,400 Call Sherry MLS#520500 HOUSE & SHOP 15 Orange St. & 65 Huron St., Clinton $229,900 Call Fred or Rick MLS#716352 p •': t, f TAT�_ r i ]� 7 7 � 8.8 ACRES PT D, E & F London Rd., Blyth $175,000 Call Rick MLS#159289/179312 r- - F. - � rS MN., MOVE IN READY! 106 Victoria St., Clinton $159,800 Call Sherry MLS#239941 4BR, 2 BATH 79 Rattenbury St., Clinton $205,000 Call Rick or Fred MLS#796714 MOBILE HOME 30-343 Victoria St., Clinton $26,900 Call Fred or Rick MLS#449326 INDUSTRIAL BUILDING 135 Irwin St., Clinton $499,900 Call Rick or Fred MLS#997214 Broker of Record*** Broker/Owner** Sales Representative * f CS