Noel Baldacchino in Canada for World Harness driving championship

Early Thursday morning, Maltese champion driver Noel Baldacchino, photo, left Malta for Canada in order to participate in the World Harness Racing Championship scheduled from today to Friday 18 August in the Canadian racetracks of Century Downs (Calgary), Mohawk Racetrack (Campbelville), Georgian Downs (Innisfil), Hippodrome 3R (Trois Rivieres) and Red Shores Racetrack and Casino (Charlottetown).

The World Driving Championship together with the World Trotting Conference are held every two years and this year are coinciding with the 250th anniversary of horse racing in Canada.

Baldacchino’s participation is a historic one for us as this is the first time that a Maltese driver has been invited to be part of this most important harness racing competition.

Together with Noel Baldacchino there will be 10 world renowned drivers – the defending Champion from New Zealand Dexter Dunn who will be representing the International Trotting Association, Shane Graham (Australia), Gerhard Mayr (Austria), Rik Depuydt (Belgium), Mika Forss (Finland), Mark Purdon (New Zealand), Erik Hoitomt (Norway), Bjorn Goop (Sweden), Marcus Miller (USA) and James MacDonald for Canada taking the place of Brandon Campbell who has been suspended after his horse tested positive for doping.

The drivers will take part in 22 races in 4 different provinces. Each driver will be awarded points according to the finishing position in each race and the one that accumulates the most points on the last day will be declared world champion and awarded $25,000 in prize money.

The first 5 races are to be raced at Alberta today all of them with autostart with a distance of one and 1/16 of a mile (Malta Time Sunday 2.20 am). Noel Baldacchino’s draws are the following: 1st Race –No 7 Sacred Valley 2nd Race – No 10 Wild Chic 3rd Race – No 3 Crack The Cognac 4th Race – No 4 Starry Eyes 5th Race – No 8 Amysterytome Baldacchino is accompanied by Malta Racing Club Council Member Clayton Seychell.