Charles Juravinski passes, age 92

Standardbred Canada reports that Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame Standardbred Builder inductee Charles Juravinski of Hamilton, Ont. passed away on Tuesday, Feb. 15 at the age of 92, according to a CHCH news report.

Born in Saskatchewan during the depression, Charles Juravinski’s family moved to Hamilton in 1942.

From the mid-to-late 1950s Juravinski worked in construction and then was co-founder of a Dundas, Ont.-based construction company.

After the construction venture closed, Juravinski and former Ontario PC cabinet minister Ray Connell opened the Standardbred racetrack Flamboro Downs in Dundas in 1975. Juravinski managed the very successful facility for almost three decades before selling it in 2003.

Flamboro’s most prestigious event is the Confederation Cup, which has featured some of the greatest horses in the history of Standardbred racing.

Juravinski, as an owner, was connected with many outstanding horses, including Hall of Famers Matts Scooter and the great mare Ellamony.

Juravinski was inducted into the ‘builder’ category of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 2012. In 2017, he was also inducted into the Hamilton Sports Hall of Fame.

Since his retirement, Charles and his wife, Margaret, have made considerable endowments to the City of Hamilton and McMaster University, which have permitted the establishment of a new state-of-the-art cancer care facility at the former Henderson General Hospital, now the Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Centre. Charles and Margaret’s philanthropic endeavours contributed to health care in the local area through Hamilton Health Sciences, St. Joseph Foundation, St. Peter Foundation, St. Joseph Villa Foundation, McMaster University and others.

A full obituary will be posted when available.

From Standardbred Canada