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The falling rain could not keep the fans away on closing day of the 2021 racing season at Fort Erie Race Track. However, for the safety of both horses and riders, the 39th and final day of the meet was cut short due to inclement weather.

“Unfortunately, due to the continuous rainfall throughout the day we could not carry out the remainder of the card,” said Drew Cady, the general manager for the Fort Erie Live Racing Consortium (FELRC). “Despite our shortened card today, we still had a tremendous season, one in which we were able to welcome back fans who missed out on the 2020 racing season due to COVID-19 restrictions.”

The leading rider at this year's meet, Chris Husbands scored 52 wins during the 124th racing season at the border oval. Some of those victories included back-to-back wins with Fort fan-favourite Pepperoni (Jul. 26 /Aug. 31) as well as Wheat King (Jun. 22/29). Husbands also rode Red Equinox to victory in the Rondeau Bay Stakes on Prince of Wales Day, Sept. 14.

“I had a really good start and I just continued on that momentum. I was blessed to ride good horses. The owners and trainers gave me good horses, which I really appreciated. Thanks to all the owners and trainers who gave me a shot and the opportunity,” said Husbands.

Trainer Julie Mathes secured the title of leading trainer for a second year in a row. During the 2021 season, Mathes won 23 races. On yesterday's card she secured a victory with Team Win (in race nine) with jockey Omar Moreno aboard. In 2020, Mathes secured 29 wins. Bruno Schickedanz secured 16 wins, giving him the title of top owner at the border oval this year.

While yesterday's ten-race card saw over a million in wagering, the shortened card on Tuesday saw close to $400,000 in wagering. In total, Fort Erie had $28.6 million in wagering for 2021.

With this racing season in the books, the border oval looks ahead to next year's meet and has applied for 40 race days, operating on mostly Mondays and Tuesdays, beginning May 31 through to October 18.

For more information about Fort Erie Race Track, visit www.forterieracing.com.

The post Chris Husbands, Julie Mathes Take Leading Rider, Trainer Titles At Fort Erie Race Track appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Fort Erie racetrack, the 124-year-old border oval in Fort Erie, Ontario, kicked off the racing season on Tuesday with a tremendous card featuring two Cup races, the Sprint into Summer and the Summer Solstice Cup. The opening day card saw $1.2 million in wagering.

The first race on opening day went to Souper Deputy for trainer Julie Mathes and jockey Chris Husbands. He returned $3.20 to his backers. The leading trainer at last year's meet, Mathes was happy to be back in the winner's circle on opening day.

“My husband, myself and our team at the barn are very elated. We've put a very long hard winter into the horses, and we are very happy to see it paying off. It was a great way to start the season,” said Mathes.

Jockey Chris Husbands rode two winners on opening day, while jockey Pierre Mailhot rode three winners on the card. Mailhot captured the Sprint into Summer Cup aboard Gunzig Stinger. Trained and owned by Claudia Rabstein, the 4-year-old son of Signature Red battled back from a stretch duel with Red Mercury to win the $30,000 Cup race. The other feature race on the card, the Summer Solstice Cup was clinched by Lost Corsage. Owned by Jeanne Ryan, the 4-year-old filly romped home victorious under the setting sun with veteran rider Kirk Johnson aboard.

For trainer Daniel Wills, Lost Corsage exceeded his expectations in the race.

“It wasn't the original expectation. We bought her from John Charalambous at the end of the year and he said that she would do really good at Fort Erie and she was blossoming. Kirk worked her from the gate and said if you run her in the Cup she'll win. It wasn't the plan originally, but I just went along with what he's got to say, and we took a shot and got lucky.”

Breezing the filly in the morning, Kirk Johnson felt very confident about his ride going into the race. “The way she breezed and how much horse I had – it just gave me chills. You know you just get that feeling as a rider.”

Fort Erie's racing season includes 39 days, running Mondays at 1 p.m. ET and Tuesdays at 4 p.m. until Labor Day. From September 6 onwards, post time will be at 1 p.m. for both days.

Racing will continue without spectators, however fans can watch a live HD stream online at https://www.forterieracing.com/streaming-and-replays

Fans can also watch the replay show on YourTV channel 700, Friday nights at 7 p.m. and Saturdays at 12:30 p.m.

The post Fort Erie Kicks Off 2021 Season On Monday-Tuesday Schedule appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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