Clinton Raceway opens new grandstand on homecoming weekend

BY SCOTT STEPHENSON

On Sunday, the Clinton Raceway officially cut the ribbon on a new chapter of its life as a long-running local institution by opening its brand new grandstand. The auspicious occasion was celebrated with a classic outdoor luncheon of chicken, beans with bacon, potato salad and coleslaw. While the black fabric tablecloths kept trying to fly away in the breeze, attendees welcomed the wind’s cooling effect on such a hot day. Those without a ticket to the luncheon were not left out of the fun - the young members of the Clinton Mustangs were on site, raising funds for their baseball team by slinging hot dogs and pop to a hungry crowd. The team also offered up fried onions for those who like an allium-adorned dog, and the sweet smell permeated the entire grounds.

 

Horse racing is one of the oldest sports, born of a singular purpose - to determine which horse of a number of horses is the fastest. From ancient civilizations to modern day, the sport has remained largely unchanged - the harness races that fans flock to at the Clinton Raceway have quite a lot in common with the chariot races of ancient Greece and Rome. 

 

Each attendee also received a commemorative cup to mark the occasion, which came with a special racing form crammed full of historical information about the history of both the track and its accompanying grandstand. The Clinton Raceway has been a cherished fixture in the community since 1945. In 1969, the Clinton Kinsmen took over operations, and held their first full season in 1970. 

 

The racing form contained excerpts from a series of articles by Jim Fitzgerald, the editor of the Clinton News-Record during the days when the Kinsmen were revitalizing the grandstand for the first time, in 1977. He covered the saga of the original grandstand’s condemnation, and the combined efforts of the Clinton Kinsmen, town council, and the community to rapidly construct a new grandstand over the course of only three months. Emergency council meetings were held to gain approval for the project, volunteers from all over town came out to assist contractors - even Central Huron Secondary School students were enlisted to help hammer in the bleachers as part of a work experience program. 

 

The second grandstand served the community well until 2024, when it was demolished to make way for the new, fully accessible grandstand that opened on Sunday. It features accessible washrooms, a larger capacity and more comfortable seats. 

 

Of course, once the lunch was eaten, the national anthem was sung and the speeches were made, it was time to get down to some good old-fashioned harness racing. The third race of the afternoon was the big one: the Kin Pace Final. The $50,000 purse ended up being taken by Sugar Pie Honey from Millar Farms.