Father’s Day was extra special for Daddy Let Me Drive as Rodney Gillis led Sunday’s feature race from gate to wire, holding off Intended Royalty in a thrilling stretch drive to win by a nose in 1:57.4 for owner D.F. Beaton.
June 23, 2021
-by Bill Dunphy
A thrilling feature race, a runaway horse, a 1:57.3 trip, two wins for two new arrivals and the arrival of HPIbet – complete with glitches – marked the first day of racing at Inverness Raceway.
The six-dash card coincided with Father’s Day on Sunday, but unfortunately, fans and spectators were not allowed on the premises.
The absence of wagering in the parimutuel building was supposed to be offset with Inverness Raceway joining HPIbet, an online betting service provided by the Woodbine Entertainment Group.
However, the service went live too late for race one, was available for race two, but then the feed stayed frozen on race two for the remainder of the card.
Live streaming of the races suffered a similar fate, all of which was attributed to a piece of equipment that was on order but didn’t arrive on time.
Track manager Meagan MacQuarrie said the addition of Inverness Raceway to the many tracks across North America that are in HPIbet’s stable will mean additional revenue for Inverness once things get going.
“I’ve been working all winter on it. Updating our internet to fibre-op was key. We had Dougie (Cameron) working on our audio to make it sound better and Anthony (Beaton) worked on our live-stream,” she said.
“If you have an HPI account and use it to wager on our races, we get three per cent of the bet. Also, if someone in Ontario who has an Inverness County address, we get a percentage of that.”
Once fans are allowed back, the live bet and the HPI bet will be combined for the total handle for each race day.
It is free to join HPIbet and takes just a few minutes to open an account. As well, the link to the live feed of the races can be found on Inverness Raceway’s Facebook page.
Sunday’s race card began with a minute of silence to acknowledge the sudden passing of horseman John Gillis.
John owned Iona Katie and Tequila N Paradise and condolences were expressed to his wife Colleen, son Johnathan, and his brothers Roy (Kimmy) and Danny. John was 55.
The first dash saw Ambrose Gillis and Joey Poirier go head-to-head in an exciting stretch drive in which Gillis, aboard Susu Heaven, overtook Poirier and Oppies Lifes Line at the wire for a win in 2:02.4.
The new colt out of the GG Stone and Mac Stable in Port Hood made his debut in race two and did it in style.
With Alex MacDonald on the reins, three-year-old Hughie Ray went gate-to-wire to set a maiden mark of 2:02.4. To celebrate the win, Hughie Ray decided to leave the winner’s circle without Moose, making his way to the barn side of the track where he pulled over and allowed someone to walk him to the test barn. A happy ending for all concerned.
The fastest mile of the day came in race three when 13-year-old campaigner Cliff Drummond smoked the field in 1:57.3 for driver Redmond Doucet and owner Evan Gillis.
Race four saw Rotten Ronnie pick up where he left off last season as a two-year-old, winning his first race as a three-year-old in 1:58.4, leaving from post eight. Rotten Ronnie was driven by Doucet, who owns the colt with Andy Stewart.
Sunday’s feature race was as good as it gets with heavy favourite Intended Royalty and Daddy Let Me Drive needing a photo to determine a winner.
Daddy Let Me Drive, owned and trained by D.F. Beaton, left from the rail and Rodney Gillis went to the front. Nose to helmet with Doucet on the reins, Intended Royalty settled into second. Royalty is owned and trained by Randy Copley, who co-owns the horse with his dad Eddie.
Doucet left the pocket at the three-quarter pole as Gillis maintained the rail, and the two were side-by-each down the stretch to the wire, with Daddy Let Me Drive winning by a nose.
The only thing to make that better will be fans in the stands for the rematch.
The card ended with Rockemsockem Scott winning his debut at Inverness Raceway with an impressive nine-length, 1:59.2 win for driver Gerard Kennedy, who co-owns the horse with four others from the Strait area.
Racing continues this Sunday and hopefully the province will open up some more to allow fans to attend.
