Megan Walker on the powerful appeal of Mohawk’s free “sulky rides.”

by Melissa Keith

The opportunity to share a special “View From Woodbine Mohawk Park” came to a seasonal conclusion on Saturday (Sept. 28). That’s when the Campbellville, ON track offered the last of its free sulky (actually, jog cart) rides for the 2024 meet.

Megan Walker is Mohawk’s senior manager of standardbred racing operations. She told HRU about how the rides got rolling this year.

“The first sulky rides took place in May on Fireworks and Family Fun Night [May 18],” Walker said. “Typically, after this event we wait until the weather is nicer and offer rides every Saturday. This year we started on June 22.”

Mohawk railbirds would have seen the introductory sulky rides taking place between races this summer into early fall. Walker said they were not just for kids; in fact, there was a lower, not an upper, age limit. “Rides are available for anyone 10 years and older,” she said. “It is a mix of both kids and adults, probably about 60 per cent kids and about 40 per cent adults.”

The concept is not new. But for every racegoer who gets the chance to sit behind a pacer for the first time, it’s a new experience that may deepen their interest in harness racing.

“The rides are something we have offered for nine, maybe 10 years at Mohawk,” Walker said. “I believe Hands On Horses previously traveled and provided the opportunity at other Ontario racetracks.”

The Hands On Horses program was founded in 1999 as an initiative of the Ontario Harness Horse Association (OHHA). Equipped with four standardbreds and double-seated jog carts, the program traveled across Ontario to provide “Wanna Drive?” events for many years.

While the Hands On Horses program was no longer active as of Sept. 2020, in an interview at that time, OHHA general manager Brian Tropea described the impact of offering free jog cart rides to the general public: “It all starts with the live experience, and that was where the Hands On Horses program was so valuable, I believe, because we gave people an experience they won’t forget… I carried 1-year-old kids around the racetrack, and I had 95-year-old men and women on the cart. What we did is we created a lifetime memory, similar to someone who’s a hockey fan being allowed to go and skate on the ice with the Maple Leafs.”

With rural Ontario communities increasingly populated by seniors (who make up 24.4 per cent of rural Ontario residents as of 2021, in contrast to 17.3 per cent of urban Ontario residents), there are fewer young people getting to know harness horses directly in their hometown. According to the 2021 Ontario Census, the percentage of youth living in rural Ontario declined by 1.6 per cent between 2016 and 2021.

Complimentary jog cart rides at Woodbine Mohawk Park are one way to facilitate connections between standardbreds and potential future trainers and drivers.

The rides have cropped up in various formats over the years at Mohawk. On Aug. 4, 2018, families could arrive before the live card to sign their kids up for “Drive With Us.” In 2023, Ontario racing fans 18 and older could enter a draw to win one of six chances for a sulky ride during the June 17 North America Cup card.

Walker said local horsepeople helped make the rides a success again this year.

“It is a fan favorite and always in high demand,” she said. “Even in the rain, fans still want to get out on the track. Many drivers have taken fans out for the sulky rides over the years, including Mohawk regulars. This year, some of the drivers included Carter Gimblett, Braiden Reibeling, Nate Harding, Chris Rogers, Jamie Hart, Emma Christoforou, and Debi O’Brien-Moran.”

Not every track has the essential infrastructure and assistants to host jog cart rides.

“We use a two-seater jog cart,” Walker said. “One is owned by COSA [Central Ontario Standardbred Association] and the other by OSAS [Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society]. COSA is a big supporter and sponsor of this program.”

She added that the participating horses are retired standardbred racehorses.

“It is always an OSAS ambassador horse,” she said. “Last year, it was Stonebridge Scout [p, 8, 1:55.2f; $166,803], and this year, Reverend Hanover [p, 3, 1:48.3s; $450,034].”

Walker called the OSAS ambassadors “amazing” animals with the ability to reach a broad fan base.

“One of the best things about this sport is the horses… [Mohawk outrider and OSAS administrator] Joanne Colville helps organize the horses and the drivers, and our guest experience team does a great job taking care of the guests,” she said.

“Being able to provide this type of experience is something that is unforgettable for most,” Walker said. “It is a great way to make new fans, and word about the experience spreads fast. It is always bringing in new guests to try it out… Our hope is to continue to be able to provide the rides in the years ahead.”

Free jog cart rides might seem like a small piece of harness racing’s ongoing marketing puzzle. As horses become less accessible to the general public, however, such opportunities take on heightened importance. In Megan Walker’s words, “We tend to forget how lucky we are.”