Canadian Hall nominees

May 08, 2007

Drivers Keith Clark, Bill Gale and Dave Wall, breeder Jack McNiven of Killean Acres, and horses Bettors Delight, Cathedra and Grandpa Jim have been nominated for induction into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.

For over 30 years, Clark has been one of the most recognizable names in Western Canadian harness racing. In 2004, the resident of DeWinton, Alberta, was honored with the O'Brien Award of Horsemanship. Clark has driven horses to 5,269 wins and more than $24.8 million in purses. On the training side of things, Clark's students have won 3,025 races and earned more than $17.6 million. One horse that Clark has significant ties to is Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee, As Promised, Alberta's leading Standardbred stallion, whom Clark purchased, raised and raced before selling him to Skywest Farms.

Gale, a native of Toronto, Ont., has driven 6,401 winners and horses to over $42 million in purses. After many years of dominating the driving standings at Windsor Raceway, Gale became a fixture at the Woodbine Entertainment circuit. During most of the '80s and '90s, Gale ranked among the top drivers in wins in North America, and for 16 consecutive years (1982-1997) he earned $1 million or more. Some of the top horses he piloted include Breeders Crown champions King Conch and Three Wizzards, world record holder Botany Bay, Artistic Pleasure, Mystery Fund and Lustra's Big Guy.

Wall, a native of Komoka, Ont., has driven horses to 6,550 wins to purses in excess of $54 million. As a trainer, his students have notched 518 wins and $2 million in purses. Wall has driven numerous stakes winners including North America Cup winner Staff Director and Breeders Crown champion Lifetime Dream. His best horse was Odies Fame, named Canada's Horse of the Year in 1998 after winning 11 consecutive races and numerous stakes events. She retired at the end of her 2001 season with over $1.4 million in earnings, making her the richest Canadian-bred pacing mare of all-time. Wall also was the regular driver behind trotter Goodtimes, a Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame member who retired as the richest Standardbred in Canadian history with over $2.1 million.

McNiven and his Killean Acres have been breeding superior Standardbred horses for over 40 years in Ingersoll, Ont. Their stallion roster included Frisco Byrd, Dallas Almahurst and 2006 Hall inductee Run The Table, who has sired winners of over $89 million. McNiven is a past winner of the Canadian Standardbred Horse Society's Achievement Award, the Harness Horse Youth Foundation's Service to Youth Awards and the Lloyd Chisholm Achievement Award.

Bettors Delight, a $2.5 million career earner, was a multiple stakes winner that received an O'Brien Award for his division at both two and three. He was a Breeders Crown champion at two and won the North America Cup and Little Brown Jug at three. Since being retired to Blue Chip Farms, he has enjoyed full books of mares in each of the past two seasons. From 178 starters, he has sired winners of over $8 million and 18 $100,000+ winners including multiple stakes champion, Darlins Delight, who won an O'Brien Award in 2006 as Canada's 3-Year-Old Pacing Filly of the Year.

Cathedra was a talented filly in her rookie season, winning nine of 10 races, over $330,000 and an O'Brien Award as Canada's top 2-year-old pacing filly. Lifetime she notched 19 wins and earned $733,789. She has excelled as a broodmare as the dam of eight foals with earnings of $4.6 million and an amazing average of $935,031 per starter. Included in this group are two millionaires, Cathedra Dot Com, a winner of $1.6 million and Canada's 3-Year-Old Pacing Filly of the Year in 2001, and Cabrini Hanover, a winner of $1.4 million and Canada's 2-Year-Old Pacing Filly of the Year in 2004.

Grandpa Jim was a three-time winner of the Maple Leaf Trotting Classic, the richest trotting event on the stakes calendar in the late '60s and early '70s and earned more than $500,000 in his career.

This year's successful nominees will be announced on Tuesday, May 22. Induction ceremonies will be held Thursday, Aug. 23, at the Mississauga Convention Centre. (with files from Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame release)

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