Melissa Keith

Journalist at Harness Racing Update

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Articles

Baby steps at breakfast

6 days ago | harnessracingupdate.com | Melissa Keith

Woodbine Mohawk Park put its future stars in the spotlight on Saturday. by Melissa KeithA varied crowd of spectators attended Woodbine Mohawk Park’s breakfast with the babies on Saturday (June 21). With a 9:30 a.m. start, the 14 qualifiers for 2-year-old male pacers and trotters attracted horse owners; a sizable group of young Amish men; trainers and caretakers stepping out from the paddock; and what appeared to be a few fans.
Ben Hollingsworth, good year in Ontario

1 week ago | peicanada.com | Melissa Keith

At the post position draw for the 2025 Pepsi North America Cup, something occurred to me: There are many individuals employed in harness racing jobs that do not involve the care and management of delicate, thousand-pound animals, and many of those individuals are one or two generations removed from a career horseman in their family.
Heather Flaherty on making Pepsi North America Cup Night “pop” for on-track fans and bettors

2 weeks ago | harnessracingupdate.com | Melissa Keith

by Melissa KeithAt Monday’s (June 9) post-position draw for the Pepsi North America Cup, drawmaster Mark McKelvie made it clear that on Saturday night (June 14), Woodbine Mohawk Park will play host to one of North America’s best cards of the season for both watching and wagering. Mohawk general manager Heather Flaherty told HRU that the on-track experience would be well worth the trip to Campbellville, ON, something that she and her team have been working towards in recent years.
Ervin Hanover’s mastery of the half-mile carried the Mohawk star to Camluck Classic victory

2 weeks ago | harnessracingupdate.com | Melissa Keith

by Melissa KeithIn the May 17 preferred handicap at Woodbine Mohawk Park, Ervin Hanover made one of the most hotly-anticipated returns in this year’s older pacing ranks. The 5-year-old son of Captaintreacherous—Eloquent Grace wired in back-to-back Mohawk qualifiers on May 2 and 9 for Louis-Philippe Roy, then stepped up for his first 2025 start, with Doug McNair taking the lines.
It’s $20 million, nearly 20,000 races and counting for Vic Puddy

1 month ago | harnessracingupdate.com | Melissa Keith

View The 2025 Videos Hereby Melissa KeithTrainer Victor “Vic” Puddy is approaching his 20,000th race as a trainer, and reached $20 million in purse winnings on March 20 at Woodbine Mohawk Park. The Mountain, ON horseman recorded his first training win on April 10, 1992 at Connaught Park, when Darrell Coville drove pacer Armbro Halifax to a 10-1 upset. On Friday (May 16), Puddy was feeling optimistic about a new horse he had just acquired via Preferred Equine.
Robbie Robinson’s rare Mohawk triple and recent Rideau farewell

1 month ago | harnessracingupdate.com | Melissa Keith

View The 2025 Videos Hereby Melissa KeithWhen McWicked Time crossed the wire at Rideau Carleton Raceway on Wednesday (April 27), the two-length victory also marked the crossing of Robbie Robinson from full-time owner/trainer/driver to owner and part-time trainer. “It was a big relief for me, because I decided before the meet started that my next win was going to be my last one,” Robinson told HRU on Monday (May 5). “I pretty much knew, going to the three-quarter pole.
A sort of homecoming in Sweden

2 months ago | harnessracingupdate.com | Melissa Keith

View The 2025 Videos HereLogan Park’s part-owner Arpad Szabo nearly immigrated to Sweden as a child with his father. Now, the 82-year-old Hungarian-born Canadian will visit the Nordic country for the first time to race in the Elitlopp. by Melissa KeithIt’s fitting that the fastest Canadian-sired trotter in history will also be the first in three years to represent Canada at Elitloppet.
The Next Great Save

2 months ago | peicanada.com | Melissa Keith

When I used to hear about the deconsecration of historic Catholic churches across the Maritimes, there was initially a familiar refrain that accompanied the closures: "A church is not a building, it's a group of people who will just relocate to another place for the same shared purpose." There was an assumption, by those in charge, that people whose ancestors had lovingly built those churches would dutifully find a new place of worship.
Looking back at the Cam Fella Farewell Tour and remembering the late Pat Crowe

2 months ago | harnessracingupdate.com | Melissa Keith

View The 2025 Videos Hereby Melissa KeithPat Crowe will forever be associated with Woodbine Mohawk Park. The 87-year-old horseman died on March 28 in Windsor, ON, marking the end of an era for harness racing. Crowe was a standardbred owner, trainer, and driver who was inducted to the Springwater Sports Hall of Fame just last year, although his career in the sport spanned more than six decades.
Unprecedented demand for 2025 Mohawk Million slots

Mar 30, 2025 | harnessracingupdate.com | Melissa Keith

View The 2025 Videos HereOwner Brad Grant looking for luck beyond the draw. by Melissa KeithWith its unusual format and recent vintage (first raced in 2020), the Mohawk Million slot race was always a gamble for Woodbine Mohawk Park. Fortunately, the 2-year-old trotting event has quickly become a highlight of the racing calendar for the Campbellville, ON track.