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Last Comment: May 21, 2021 6:50 am ET | 9 Comment(s) | Jump to Comments In this week's edition of Rewind Robert Smith recalls a very important date in the history of Canadian harness racing. It was 60 years ago that nighttime racing finally came to the Province of Ontario. On the evening of May 17, 1961 with a post time of 8:00 p.m., it all happened at Western Fair Raceway in London, Ontario. A few recollections of the times and some old photographs help to recall this very special moment in our sport's history. (Photo by Claus Andersen courtesy of Canadian Sportsman) For many years, in f...

Last Comment: April 11, 2021 4:09 pm ET | 4 Comment(s) | Jump to Comments In this week's edition of Rewind Robert Smith takes readers back to the "Golden Age" of harness racing at the two major Raceways in Montreal. The weekly action, the intensity of competition and the level of talent both human and equine was virtually without parallel. He recalls some special happenings from way back when, and hopes this rekindles memories for those who remember and also shows what a great racing mecca both Blue Bonnets and Richelieu Park once were. This week's piece takes the form of three separate shor...

Last Comment: March 18, 2021 10:43 am ET | 7 Comment(s) | Jump to Comments In this week's Rewind Robert Smith recalls the career of a great trotting gelding from yesteryear named Homestead Dan and how he helped advance the careers and the lives of both his owner and long time trainer-driver. I am pleased to have some good pictures and first hand information to assist in putting this story together. An artist's rendering shows Homestead Dan, the champion trotting gelding in motion at Montreal's Blue Bonnets track in 1958 with his trainer and driver Jack Gordon in the sulky The long and colour...

Last Comment: January 28, 2021 9:43 am ET | 11 Comment(s) | Jump to Comments In this week's Rewind, Robert Smith presents an old topic but with pictures not seen before in this forum. It's another edition of 'Picture Parade' and again with a central theme. Each of the photos selected contain at least two members of the same family; a number of them are multi-generational. It's picture time again and I think this week's collection includes some very special old photos. To my knowledge none of them have been previously displayed in earlier Rewind editions but I'm not 100 percent sure. Th...

Last Comment: January 21, 2021 10:54 am ET | 4 Comment(s) | Jump to Comments In this week's Rewind, Robert Smith recalls a few of the details of an award's night banquet held 35 years ago in Kingston back in 1986. Gatherings such as this one have been held for many years to honour numerous individuals involved with racing at a certain track and usually associated with the local Turf Club. They weren't quite an equal to the modern day O'Brien Awards nights but they were still special. Additionally a few older pictures taken at the Kingston track are displayed and will serve as this week's "...