It was the Tale Of Two Bobs in the Top Performer standings for Grand River Raceway’s 2016 live racing season which wrapped up Sept. 28.
Bob McClure secured his second consecutive driving title at the track, while Bob McIntosh adds the Top Trainer award to his long list of accomplishments.
McClure’s 2016 season has been a career-best, securing titles at Grand River, Flamboro Downs and Georgian Downs.
The 26-year-old Elora resident finished the Grand River Raceway season with 84 wins, including a driving triple during the season finale. McClure surpassed 1,000 career wins during 2016, and currently sits at 378 season wins and $2 million in purse earnings. On several occasions this year he bagged four or five drives during a 10-race card.
McClure began driving in 2009. In 2014, the young reinsman’s career picked up major steam, doubling his 2013 figures and landing in the top 10 in the Canadian drivers’ standings.
He finished the 2015 season sitting third for wins in the national standings. He’s currently positioned second for wins, fifth for UDR and 10th for earnings.
While veteran Windsor trainer Bob McIntosh has conquered most of harness racing’s biggest races and awards, he secured his first Grand River Raceway training title in 2016.
The Hall Of Famer made 56 starts in Elora this season and sent 12 starters to the winners circle, including L A Delight. On Aug. 1, she paced to her seventh consecutive OSS Gold victory with a track record-equaling performance of 1:53.1 for filly sophomores during the Industry Day card at Grand River Raceway. Last week, she captured the esteemed Jugette at Ohio’s Delaware County Fair, bumping her career bankroll to $1,174,163.
McIntosh is a career winner of 4198 races and $96 million in purse earnings.
