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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1969-06-26, Page 13Behind the.of .The 1969 - season of the O Goderich Trotting Association will get under way next Tuesday with a card of 10 races. For fans it, will be an event that has been waited for since last year. For people who have never seen a trotting race — or a pace it • will be an experience that will provide another means of recreation and an _ outlet for some -of the steam that builds up during a work \eek. The first, two days of racing • this year, will be •on Tuesday, July 1 and 8. From then -on it w will be back to the regular race days of Wednesday except for an odd Saturday or two thrown in for added enjoyment. It will be a new year for the local association that has been growing fast since the institution • of pari -mutual wagering three, years ago. Trotting, or harness racing if you like, has ,been one of the fastest growing spectator sports in Canada in recent years. The "Sport of Kings." - thoroughbred horse racing, - has had the attention of the racing public for centuries,,but it is only since the late fifties and early sixties that the trotting and pace horses — ',The Standard Breds — have. come into their own. They provide a different kind � •• - 4 45 b r r of thrill for fans and at $.1 per head admission at the local track, harness racing isane of the cheapest forms of -recreation or spectator , sports available anywhere today.. Of course there are many dollars lost at the mutual windows, but many more are also won. The Goderich Trotting Association • track is small by comparison with some tracks in,, Ontario; Garden City, in St. Catharines and Mohawk, near Milton •for example, 'but the thrill is the same and with the facilities that are available the local association does well. But the fans don't often get to see what goes on behind the scenes. Here it is a different world, A world of sights and sounds that to owners, trainers, grooms and drivers is the life blood of the racing circuit. " The smell of horse liniment mingles with fresh straw in the stalls • and the slightly acrid odour of leather soap slips in occasionally to create an air that speaks of "racing." The sounds of horses snuffling in their stalls and the scuffle of shod feet across the floors ' are pushed into the 'by of sounds right now by the hammering of nails that tell of the erection of a new paddock building. The paddock will mean. a lot to local racing fans and to the raceway. Without it'tWe raceway could not continue to operate much longer. The Canadian Trotting Association requires one at the track. With it, more horses can be housed on„race days; qualifying races Van be held and more races can be accomodated on a card.. It will mean more revenue for the track and more for the town. For the past two years the local • association has been paying back a $25,000 loan from the town — with interest. A percentage of the moneythat comes from the track will eventually find its way into the town coffers: ▪ Another facet not often .• considered by' opponents,of the track is the number of local people who are.em.ployed there. Men. women, boys and girls all gain from employment at the track and once again it points up the amount of money that goes back to the town. Trainers 'whd gain experience here go on to larger tracks and many of the horses that have come out. of Goderich barns go' on to greater things on the "big time” circuits. the5o created largely by lack of space, especially for parking. Hopefully the town council and the association will come up with an answer. Council has co-operated with the track very well in the past two or three years and the taxpayers are reaping a reward in, the interest on money borrowed, , and buildings paid for in part by the association. There are those who decry the action of council And, of - course, 'the merchants of the town benefit too. There is no restaurant at the track and people who come early on race days eat "up -town. Their wives shop at local stores and American visitors who have come to town for the races return to find summer cottages in the area that they grow to -like so well. • . The adage "You can please some of the people some of the time. etc etc." holds true with the local track. Not all of the people are pleased with havingfit' in town,. There are problems. Problems INTIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIllh1111WIIIIIII1l11t11IUIIi$IIIIIIIIIIIIIIf . :,STORY • AND PHOTOS BY RON -PRICE IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIiiIIIIIIIIIIIIUIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIUItl111I in.. making a grant for the construction of the paddock. The money will 'only payr.part of the costs and the. building will become town property. These buildings will one -day make first rate accomodation for livestock when farriers and farmer's associations in, the county start holding county,fairs here once again. That time is not too far off. eruc In the"meantime, the fans will have there big day on July 1. Racing will last until September. What is in, store for the future, nobody really can says, but a prediction that .racing will flourish in Goderich would be more - than a' guess; efforts to solvethe ' parking problem, are going 'to be. made and the construction of the , paddock, apart from the benefits td the track, will do away with manure piles that at ;times have upset local residents. • So the ,early . morning work-outs continue, sulky and jogging carts will be readied for use and the . harness will get. another cleaning with saddle soap. -The smells and sounds ,of ' the barns will continue to Make racing a way of life. for Many and the races will make the work week .a little easier kr face for many more. The seven-year-old mare, Mary-'Gtenford, owned by Larry and' Ray Jeffrey, has been doing well, recently and when this photo was taken she JGas being made ready for the trip to London. She had won her last three starts. Ray Jeffrey, applies the liniment before he bandages her legs to protect them during the trip. Horses are worked over one mile at the Goderich Trotting Association track here. The course is good' although on wet morning's a mud .blankeOmay, have to be used to protect the driver from flying debris. Trotters differ from Pacers in the way they stride. A trotter uses legs on the opposite side of the body at The same time; back right and front left together, for example.,A Pacer uses legs on one side of the body in unison. Bud Jerry, manager of the local association, is shown bringing Perfect Copy, owned by his wife, onto the track for a wdrk-out. w, 1n n, A comparison between the sulky, top, used during racing, ad ,the jogging cart, used for training, is shown in these two photos: `By using the heavier cart for training, time *can be clipped during races. nto the van for the trip to London goes Mary Glenford, owned by Larry and Ray Jeffrey. The seven-year-old mare will be racing in Goderich in a new category this year due,to her recent winning streak. Someof the equipment used on a trotting horse is shown in this photo of Perfect Copy, owned by Mrs. H. O. Jerry. Equipment differs from horse to hore depending on the training needed. Perfect Copy is still a novice, never having raced, and needs some extra training aids yet. The early hours of the day can be .lonely ones on the local trotting track as horses work out around the fog -shrouded Into the jogging cart goes Perfect Copy to complete an early morning work-out. He had worked one mile before being given a rest and went- back ,for a second mile. He will be racing in Goderich when the season opens. All harnessed up and ready for the track, Perfect Copy leaves the barn fors his final work-out of the day. Having already run one mile, he was being taken out for his second of the day. Bud Jerry is in the driver's seat half -mile course: But the sun soon burns the fog off and the work of preparing Standard Breds for the up -coming season goes on. 'Bud Jerry and nephew Robbie Jerry prepare Perfect Copy for an • early morning workout. The bridle here carries blinkers to help overcome shying. It will be the first year of racing ,for the three-year-old gelding. He is owned by Mrs. Jerry: Horses are .worked in ,both directions here clockwise and counter clockwise -- and a variety of aids are used to help the horses along the path to the winners circle. A. new paddock building under construction at the I#aeway wr benefit the track association and fans alike. More races- will t held, with a greater variety of horses. The building will kQ completed in time for the July 1 opening -of the season.