Page 88 - The Rankin Family and Harness Racing

ISSUE : Issue 45

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1987/6/1

the track a couple of times, tripping and falling and running into a couple of fences, and cut himself up pretty bad, and hurt himself. That's why he didn't race as 3, You couldn't keep on training him. His chest was split open, and he had stitches in there and a tube to drain the fluid out-- he was cut up pretty bad, I got him cas? trated. When the stitches came out, I sent him home, and he was turned out for the summer. Then when I came back in the fall, I picked him up again and I started training him again. It was probably October or No? vember before I started, and then he raced in--I don't know--February. Each race he was going, he' was getting in? to tougher competition and tougher competi? tion. What, really, I liked the most about it was: the first race you went in, say 2.17, and then you dropped right the next race to 2.11, Which is 6 seconds--that's a big drop for any horse. Different competi? tion, and the time was a drastic change, (Then by the third race--was it again stiffer competition?) Each time he raced the competition got stiffer and stiffer, (What happened at the third race?) Oh, he won it easy. Like he's won all of them easy. quicken up considerably to catch them. (Where were you at the half mile?) Last--' Eighth, so to speak. . (So you have half a mile to go. You're the last horse. What did you do?) I took him to the outside. And a horse came in front of me, which would make the ideal situa- tion--second over, with cover in front of me. And I said, "This is terrific." But the horse that came in front of me wasn't closing any. The lead hors'e was really pouring it on and opening up, I said, "Geez, I'm never go-ing to catch him, I can't be sitting here waiting--I'11 have to go 3 wide," So I moved him 3 wide, and then he started to close ground. And he just won that race in the final strides. But when you consider the distance he cov? ered, it was kind of an incredible race for him to go. That would be his 5th race. The race only went in 2.10, But the lead horses were o- ver the half in 1,08, and the last half was 1,02. That was for the ones in the lead. But now, I'm last. So my half is probably 1,09 and a piece, because seconds are ticking by by the time I get to the half. They say they had his official last half clocked up in the judges' stand in a minute and 4/5 of a second. Which, when you consider it's still March and you're still in Cape Breton--that's quite a burst of speed, really. One race there--the only time that I < him to go, that he didn't by himself-- one particular race where maybe I was confident or--just the way a race goes sometimes, I ended up sit? ting at the back of the pack-- really leisurely first half, like really slow. And then the pace quickened up. So when you're back further, your pace has got to The Jeux Canada Winter Games '87 are now over, but a legacy remains. A new arena, sports medicine centre and sport heritage centre become part of the University College of Cape Breton Campus and a valuable new resource for the entire Cape Breton community. U.C.C.B. is proud to have been part of the Games and proud to serve the people of Cape Breton. After all, IT'S YOUR UNIVERSITY TOO! For more information on activities, programs and services offered by University College of Cape Breton, contact tfie Public Relations Office, 539-530, Ext. 146. University College of Cape Breton P.O. Box 5300, Sydney, Nova Scotia BIP 6L2 (902) 539-5300, Ext. 146. sked (What does March in Cape Breton have to do this with it?) Well, the air is still heavy, over- it's not warm by any means, And the track immiE YbUR PBODUCnVITY FAXIT FULL BLAST! The Most Intelligent Fax in IMemory. Introducing the new intelligence in facsimiles • the Canon FAX-730, with greater memory and more intelligent features than ever before. The 730 puts 16-megabit built-in memory to work for 112 document pages* • with memory-based "??"'features like batch transmission, relay ' broadcast and confidential mailbox, plus 132 location speed dialing or the most powerful and versatile G3 facsimile Small Copier. Big Help. Canon iciiiil Designed to make you more productive. Automatically. a copier with capacity capability to matcti. Canon NP-7550 tias wtn takes and then some: fi sided copying (from one? sided or two-sided originals), document feeding- /sorting high speed (50 cop? ies a minute), variable reduc? tion and enlargement ' Highland Office Products your copier this produc- comforting tc Reeves Building Call Today For 22 Maple Street A Demonstration l'sa/e"-'- 539-2677

Cape Breton's Magazine