Dion drives first winner in 27 years

Rene DionHarness racing horseman Rene Dion drove a horse to victory for the first time since 1994 on Monday at Grand River Raceway.

Dion, regularly a trainer, took the lines of his two-year-old trotting pupil, Promise For Life, in the second race and bottomed out the field. He sent the Royalty For Life colt directly to the front from post five, maintained a gap of more than two lengths through :29.4, 1:00.2, and 1:30.4 fractions, and saw the horse home for a maiden-breaking 2:01.4 victory by three and three quarter lengths.

PRROMISE FOR LIFE REPLAY

Promise For Life collected one cheque in his first four starts. He debuted on Jul. 9, finishing sixth in a conditioned event, followed by a sixth and a ninth in consecutive Grassroots efforts, and took fifth despite breaking in the Prospect Series on Aug. 7. Dion conditions the colt for R A W Equine Inc. of Burlington and S&R Racing Stable of Acton.

Dion’s last winning pari-mutuel steer came behind Rae Racy on May 2, 1994 at Blue Bonnets Raceway, which no longer exists. His only other victory in the bike was on Jul. 10, 1993 at Blue Bonnets with Check This Out.

As a trainer, the Acton resident is 140-for-1105 all time and has won three in 20 starts this year. He has trained stars such as Shower Play and Flanagan Memory, who won the 2016 Breeders Crown Open Trot.

Grand River Raceway’s next card on Wednesday, Aug. 25 features two Ontario Sires Stakes Gold divisions. First post for the 11-race program is 6:30 p.m. EDT.

For full race results, click here.

by Nicholas Barnsdale, for Harnesslink