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Right Timing For Wright
Jr.
Day dreaming, a time to escape
from reality and be adventurous yet be
completely in control of the events as they happen.
Children tend to interact
and verbalize when they day dream. This is often
considered fantasizing.
Many will fantasize about
their role models and when that child comes from a
harness racing background names like Remmen, Goudreau,
O'Donnell, Lachance and Campbell are often heard during
their adventurous play.
This is certainly the case
for one of Western fair Raceway's newest contenders,
Greg Wright Jr.
Greg can recall some of his
early childhood memories as if they were yesterday.
"My dad always maintained
a large stable of about 60 horses. Some of which
were riding horses and while the chores were being
done, my friends and I
would take turns pulling each other on race bikes,
pretending to be Ray
Remmem or Shelley Goudreau."
As a young lad, traveling
from track to track with his father it became
clear to Greg Jr. the winners circle was the place
he wanted to be. At age
nineteen he received his driver's license and launched
his harness driving
career. Upon completion of Windsor Raceway's Spring
meet in 1990 Greg veered North East to Hiawatha Horse
Park in Sarnia, ON. It was here that he made his winner's
circle debut.
In '92 Greg shipped to the
Meadowlands for a three-month stay with his father
Greg Wright Sr.
That three-month stay molded
the Wright and Wright team and sent them south to
California for a two-year stint at Los Alamitos. The
duo then spent two years tag teaming between tracks
located in Michigan and Ontario before
settling in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania in '96.
After five years of competition
at the Pennsylvania track, the Meadows, Greg
Jr made the decision to return to Ontario. His father
was a little disappointed with his decision but sent
him on his way and wished him well.
"We maintained a large
stable, about 25 to 30 head and I drove them all,"
says Greg Jr. "Dad liked the way I handled them
because I treated each one as if it were my own. Dads
taking care of the same size of stable and using other
drivers so I'm sure this is a big change for him.
I know it is for me. It was great working side by
side with my dad and the relationship that we had
was very rewarding. I also miss the friends I made
down south but at the same time it's been great seeing
old friends and getting acquainted with new ones."
Greg Jr's return to Ontario
on June 28, 2001 has proved to be exciting, profitable
and adventurous, something like a day dream. He has
gone behind
the gate with some of Ontario's top contenders attaining
victories that have
been creating a buzz in the backstretch of many South
Western Ontario's
tracks.
When asked to share one of
his most memorable moments of his 2001 summer in Ontario
Greg Jr. stated, "Since my return home I guess
the biggest hi-light would be setting the Canadian
record with Royalflush Hanover during the Slot Cup
at Hiawatha, although I did drive some horses that
set new track records at Woodstock and Clinton and
those races were quite memorable too."
Greg's Canadian record setting
performance of 1:49.4 with Royalflush Hanover came
on August 18, 2001 during Hiawatha Horse Park's $75,000
Slot Cup Invitation Pace. This record performance
also branded a new lifetime mark for the six-year-old
Cams Card Shark gelding.
The transition from the US
to Ontario has been quite a bit easier than Greg
expected.
" I really didn't know
what to expect. Actually I thought I would be sulking
a little bit when I first got up here. I went from
driving every night at the Meadows too not knowing
if I'd be driving at all. It picked up a lot quicker
than I expected it too though and it's been a big
change as well. Racing at the Meadows was becoming
very consistent and here competing at different tracks
and going behind the gate with a new bunch of guys
has been great."
1996 remains Greg Jr's most
winning year with 1767 trips to the gate and 196
to his fantasy location, the winners circle and 2001
was his most lucrative
year with purse earnings totaling $1,420,196. Of that
total $640,342. was from purses accumulated from both
the Ontario Sires Stakes program and
Western Fair Raceway. $250,000 was made in the US
and the remainder
collected in overnight events from the various tracks
he frequented. If this
South Western Ontario returnie continues at the same
rate in 2002 as the
previous year he will surpass all his personal bests
Since Western Fair Raceway
opened for its fall meet on October 12, 2001 Greg
has accumulated 54 firsts, 38 seconds, 44 thirds and
purse earnings totaling $394,077. in 282 starts. Currently
he is ranked second in the drivers
standings behind World Driving Champion Jody Jamieson.
Even though Greg Jr. now a
resident of St Mary's Ontario, hasn't set any plans
or goals for 2002 he hopes his career will continue
on the upward
trend it has taken since his arrival. This personable
32-year-old believes
that if your honest and work hard good things will
come.
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