Weekly Review From December 29th to January 5th

Wales Driving Champion Moves To Ontario

The 3rd race at Western Fair on the Tuesday afternoon program of January 6 will be of special interest as 50 year old horseman Stephen P. Lees of Wales will be in the bike with pacing mare Lyons Ruby.

“We’ve just moved to Canada within the past month and so far I just love it here,” Lees says from his home at Harley, ON, west of Toronto and not far from Mohawk Racetrack and Flamboro Downs. “It was a big decision but it’s been in the planning stages for quite a while. The primary owner I work for, Geoffrey Lyons, sold almost 40 head a month ago in Wales to clear the way for us to come over.”

Though he is from Wales in the United Kingdom, Lees could be a name familiar to many in industry circles.

“I was the top driver in Wales for many years running and I represented the U.K. three times in the World Driving Championships” he adds. “I’ve travelled a lot. The first time I worked in Canada was in 1975 when I was 17 years old for Tom Artandi and Wes Coke. During that time I shared a place in the grooms’ dormitory with Steve Condren. And in 1990 on a trip to Pompano to visit my great friend Bud Foster, I won five straight races that I drove in there.”

At Western Fair on Tuesday he’ll team the 8-5 morning choice Lyons Ruby from post four in the third race. He’s also taken over training duties of the four year old Mach Three-Timeless Classic mare that won 7 times from 16 starts in 2008. Her life’s mark of 1:55.1 was taken in an Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots event at Kawartha Downs last October 7. In his debut in Canada on December 30 at Georgian Downs Lees certainly made his presence known. He ventured first over in the final of the second race on that program and almost won with pacer Rocket Tempo.

“Some people back in Wales think I’m quite mad for coming here just in time for the Canadian winter but I just love it here” Lees says. “I’ve followed the racing here all my life. It’s a real dream come true to come here with the chance to make a good living. I’m going to do all I can to be a success.”

Upstart Driver McNair In TV Feature

A-TV in London had a sports department camera rolling at Western Fair during the New Year’s Eve program last Wednesday. Reporter Brent Lale focused on 19 year old driver Doug McNair.

“We’re going to air the feature report on Doug on the 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts on Monday, January 5” says Lale. “Interviewing Doug, I found he was very humble about accomplishing over 100 wins and over $1 million in purses in his first year driving as an 18 year old. Plus the story will have some interesting supporting quotes from his father Gregg and from Brad Forward, who was the 2006 and 2008 driving champion at Western Fair” Lale added.

The London, ON TV station is seen across Southern and Midwest Ontario and the story will be posted on youtube.com for worldwide viewing after the Monday broadcasts.

New Post Time Rollout

The Monday and Tuesday programs of January 5 and 6 feature the new post time rollout at Western Fair of 3:35 p.m., one half hour later than had been the case in 2008 for the Monday and Tuesday cards.

Friday evening post time remains the same at 7:05 p.m. eastern.

In Monday’s $18,400 Preferred Trot in the 6th race, the 2-1 morning line choice is Admirals Quest in post four with Brad Forward declared to drive by trainer Richard Moreau. The $18,400 Preferred Pace is set for the 12th race where trailing post eight entrant Pacific Oak is the 2-1 early line favourite for owners Shirley and Kerry House of St. Jacobs, ON and trainer-driver Ken Oliver.

--Frank Salive