Man vs. filly at Windsor

Windsor Raceway has lined up a charity match race between Canada's 2003 College Athlete of the Year Ryan McKenzie and Sammartha Stewart, a 3-year-old pacing filly from trainer Bob McIntosh's stable. The handicap event is scheduled to take place Wednesday, Oct. 27, at 8 p.m.



McKenzie, who set numerous collegiate records while running track for the Windsor Lancers, will race a half mile while Sammartha Stewart will go an entire mile. In a test run conducted Wednesday, Oct. 20, McKenzie covered a half-mile over the Windsor Raceway five-eighths mile oval in 1:58.1, stating afterward he was pleased with the track surface. "It's good and solid, just like the mondo on the indoor track at the university," he was quoted as saying.



Sammartha Stewart was unraced at two and has won twice in 12 starts this year. A daughter of Artsplace, she paced to a career best 1:52.3 at Woodbine Sept. 2. Bill Gale will get the call to direct Sammartha Stewart in the match race, where they will have to get underway from a standing start.



"Behind a starting gate, a horse is moving at 30 m.p.h.," McIntosh told Bob Duff of the Windsor Star. "Standardbreds aren't used to starting from a standing start. It could cost us at least 10 seconds."



Seventy-five percent of the $1,000 purse will be awarded to the winner's charity and 25 percent will go the runner-up's choice. Fans that night at the track will be able to purchase stickers with the name of their choice for $2, and if they choose the winner they will become eligible for a prize drawing. Seventy-five percent of the proceeds from sticker sales will also go to the winner's charity.



McKenzie has designated Carla Can Sing, an organization that provides dolls and healing music to children suffering from cancer, as his charity and McIntosh has chosen the Canadian Diabetes Association as his charity.

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