Race renamed for Camluck

It could easily be argue that horse racing has often had a difficult time making the right choices.

That was not the case on Thursday with an announcement from Western Fair District in London.

The signature race for the storied track has been the Molson Pace, which has now been renamed The Camluck Classic in honour of Canada’s greatest pacing sire.

While it is a small gesture in the grand scheme of things, it is right on the money. Molson Breweries departed as sponsor after 25 years. Someone had the bright idea to bring Camluck into the picture and it was a tailor made solution.

Three years go at the age of 28, Camluck passed away at Seelster Farms of Lucan where he stood all his life.

He won a million dollars racing for trainer Bob McIntosh, of Windsor.

But it was in the breeding shed where he excelled. His offspring have won $216 million to date with 21 millionaires.

When a horse retires to stud the odds are prohibitive that he will be a commercial success. Camluck beat all odds to become the greatest offspring of his own sire, the mighty Cam Fella.

But the numbers really do not reveal the impact Camluck had on Canadian racing. Quite simply, people not only wanted to buy a Camluck yearling, they pretty much had to if they wanted to compete in the following two years of Ontario stake races. He was head and shoulders the best.

The race bearing his name goes for a modest pot of $150,000 and now is an invitation race. It is set for May 26 and attracts the older class of horses, but it remains a fixture on the racing calendar in Ontario.

It’s just pleasant to see that the horse’s connections saw fit to honour him in this fashion and show some goodwill to the game. Because of his accomplishments he deserves every bit of it.