It Was A Dark And Stormy Night...On Some Beachsomewhere

T'was a dark and stormy night, and amongst the swirling winds and driving rain ran many a standardbred through mucky limestone on the path to riches and glory in one of eight Ontario Sires Stakes Super Finals.



The evening began well enough as I dressed warmly and posed for paparazzi with celebrity race horse, Goodtimes. The 17 year-old gelding lived up to his name many times over the course of his career, winning in excess of CDN$2M including the 1999 Maple Leaf Trot.


My mission on this frigid evening with Down The Stretch editor Peter Gross, was to track down Paul MacDonnell - the driver of harness superstar Somebeachsomewhere. After a long trek through surprisingly sloppy polytrack we found MacDonnell in the backstretch stable preparing for what would be a very successful night.


(Peter Gross with Somebeachsomewhere driver Paul MacDonnell.)

After the interview, we stood patiently in the barn for the arrival of Somebeachsomewhere - and as we waited a certain young filly by the name of Belka Hanover took notice.


(Belka Hanover flirting with the press.)

This charming three year old filly was more than happy to pose for photos and with the permission of her lovely handler, I attempted to ask Belka Hanover a few questions. After a nuzzle of her nose and a bit of a chin scratch, the filly decided she was in good hands and took three big steps forward and slapped a kiss on my ear. At odds of 70-1, Belka finished eighth but showed enough early speed that I think we may meet again in a winner's circle sometime soon.


(Belka Hanover offers up a tip for the seventh race.)

While our attempt to meet the harness racing horse of the year was fruitless, ahead of us was a night of great food and better wagering in the comfy confines of Woodbine's Post Parade Lounge. As part of a story for Down The Stretch, we were wagering on behalf of the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society and managed to raise several hundred dollars thanks to some choice exactor betting. The full story will appear in our next issue.

The card was chalk full of hot favourites who won six of eight OSS races to make the public look very wise. Looking wiser still, was MacDonnell who won FOUR OSS races on the night, each worth a cool $300,000. The most exciting of which was Somebeachsomewhere's commanding front running romp through sleet and wind to wire the field by eleven lengths in front of a roaring Woodbine grandstand. As his racing career comes to an end all too soon, Somebeachsomewhere will only have run once at Woodbine, but I will be able to tell my friends that I was there to see it happen - and I made ten cents on the deal!


Somebeachsomewhere will have to fight off Deweycheatumnhowe for horse of the year honours, but there is no doubt in Paul MacDonnel's mind who the better horse is and he told us as much just hours before race time -"Somebeachsomewhere is the horse of a lifetime."