“The horse that changed my life is Kennedy Road. I was just a youngster and it was around the time I started hanging around the announcer’s booth at Woodbine, watching Dad call the races.
And it was at that moment I wanted to be a race caller. That year I watched Kennedy Road win the Cup and Saucer. The following year, I was in the booth when he won the Plate.
I remember watching the TV broadcast of the Prince of Wales and being really upset when he lost to longshot New Pro Escar. He would then go to California where he won the Hollywood Gold Cup and the San Diego Handicap. He was beaten a whisker in the Santa Anita Handicap.
My fondest memory had to be the year he chased Secretariat at Woodbine in Big Red’s last race. Once again, I was in the booth with Dad. He put in a gallant effort, but Secretariat was just too tough and ran away from Kennedy Road and the rest of the field.
When I think of Kennedy Road, I think of that wet fall day when thousands packed Woodbine to watch Secretariat. Kennedy Road ran with him for at least a mile on what could be one of the greatest days in Canadian racing history.”
By Daryl Wells Jr., for Ontario Horse Racing
(C) Ontario Horse Racing 2016. All rights reserved. May not be reproduced without permission.
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