The 7th annual Vic Hayter Memorial Trot goes this Sunday at 1:30 p.m. at the Clinton Raceway.
A release from the Clinton Raceway states the annual $15,000 trot will have no crowd restrictions for the first time in 2 years following the pandemic restrictions of 2020 and 2021. Last year, the race was moved forward to August so a restricted crowd of some 700 people could attend. In 2020, the fifth Vic Hayter Memorial was held, but no fans were allowed to be in attendance.
The release shares that "Vic Hayter owned many hotels but is perhaps best known for operating The Arden Park Hotel and Festival Inn in Stratford. He died of cancer in February of 2016 at 77 years old. Managing his hotel business took up most waking hours, but Vic always made time for Clinton Raceway. He owned standardbreds for 38 years."
Clinton Raceway is looking forward to welcoming fans back this Sunday at 1:30 p.m. for the Vic Hayter Memorial Trot.
Greg Hayter said having fans at the race honouring his late father is the most important thing.
“My dad loved to go to the horse races and watch his own horses,” Greg says. “But he also just loved to go to the races. He always used to say, and I can picture him saying this to this day, ‘It’s just a nice day to enjoy the sunshine watch some races and smell the horse----.'”
Beyond honouring his father’s memory, Greg said the hope is that, one day, the Vic Hayter Memorial can be a family-friendly event similar to the Little Brown Jug.
“We will have the normal events going on this year,” Hayter says. “A clown or face painter for the kids, food truck for the trainers and grooms, raffle tickets in conjunction with Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society. And we have a dinner afterwards which anyone is allowed to purchase and attend."