Natasha Day captures Driver’s Holiday Challenge

The festive spirit of giving was in the air on Sunday afternoon, at The Raceway at Western Fair District Sunday, as eight top harness racing drivers from across Ontario competed in the 3rd Annual Driver’s Holiday Challenge in support of Toys for Tots.

In a back-and-forth battle, all afternoon, the competition came down to the final race with Natasha Day clinching the overall victory with her fifth place finish aboard Eternal Ruler in the finale – edging out her closest rivals Tyler Borth and Scott Young.

Final Points Standings:

Natasha Day 64
Tyler Borth 62
Scott Young 61
James MacDonald 56
Travis Henry 56
Brett MacDonald 52
Colin Kelly 42
Scott Wray 39

Natasha Day got off to a great beginning, in Race 1, winning aboard JMR Mach Mel (Mach Three) for trainer Kim Smith.

From there it was just a matter of grabbing points where and when she could.

“Being in these Challenges – it’s a points thing and I’ve learned to just keep chipping away… The key to it all – is getting the little points when you can,” she said.

This 2022 OLG Ontario Women’s Driving Champion, for 2022, was noticeably proud of her accomplishment today.

“It’s good and it’s exposure – we had lots of eyes on us today… It was fun competing in this and all for a great cause at the same time.”

The holiday spirit was the big winner on the evening, as the horse racing community and its fans came together to provide a charitable donation of more than $15,000. This donation exceeds the total from the past two editions and will help in putting smiles on the faces of many children this holiday season.

The Raceway team wishes to thank the collective Southwestern Ontario horse community for their continued support of this very popular event and will now look forward to presenting the 4th Annual Driver’s Holiday Challenge in December of 2023.

For complete race results, click here.

From The Raceway at Western Fair District