Hoss Talk

As a racing columnist who enjoys mixing his columns up when it comes to giving media exposure, it sometimes can become very difficult.

Case in point: Yes he gets a lot of print, but how do you leave driver/trainer Bill Davis out of a story when writing about horse racing at Fraser Downs?

To ignore Davis would be like a basketball writer closing his eyes to LeBron James's first few games as a rookie in the National Basketball League.

Here are some facts on why Davis is perhaps the best driver to have driven in B.C. Two days ago, Davis drove eight winners, five of them coming with horses he also trains.

After arriving late from Alberta, he has driven 57 winners from only 137 starts at Fraser Down.

This year, he has driven 284 winners, placing him eighth among all drivers in Canada.

His universal driver rating of .426 leads all drivers in Canada. He has driven 3,902 career winners and has more than $12 million in lifetime earnings, numbers still rising fast.

Davis's record should include an asterisk as many of his accomplishments were achieved at Fraser Downs, a racetrack that often races only two or three days a week.

If you haven't watched Davis drive at Fraser Downs, treat yourself to an experience.

TO DO LIST: Remember there is a new Sunday post time for horse racing. To compensate for hefty satellite fees, Hastings and Fraser Downs have come up with a unique plan for saving costs. Beginning today, first race post time for Hastings is 11.53 a.m., with Fraser Downs starting their first race at 4 p.m. ... Be sure and watch the new Invitational Series this season at Fraser Downs. Runners scheduled to compete this season include veteran warriors Bre X, Nazko, Promise and Red Star Justice. All have set track records at the Downs. It'll be interesting to see how often the track record will be broken this season at Fraser Downs ... With Bill Boden and Lil Dude Ranch beefing up their stables to compete against the large Robert Murphy Stable, things should really heat up for top owner this season ... Should be a fun time on Monday at Legends at Fraser Downs, watching post positions being drawn for Saturday's $440,000 B.C. Classic Day. It is local harness racing's version of B.C. Cup Day for the thoroughbreds ... It would be nice to know what is happening with Surrey and Vancouver regarding their go-ahead for introducing slot machines at Hastings Park and Fraser Downs.

Tom Wolski can be seen on the Sport of Kings, 11 a.m. Saturdays on Citytv

Source: Vancouver Province
E-mail Tommy Wolski at twolski@home.com