Come On Artie, a four-year-old gelding sired by Artspeak, finally returned to the winner’s circle after a 39-race losing streak. Competing at The Raceway at the Western Fair District on Monday, December 9, the horse secured a hard-fought victory, marking his first win in nearly a year.
Artie started from the second tier, initially settling in sixth place. Driver Samuel Fillion manoeuvred him into a second-over position behind Punchesinbunches as the race progressed. Approaching the three-quarters mark, Fillion tipped Artie three-wide, allowing him to surge ahead and outpace his competition. In the stretch, Artie overtook Docsphillycheese, the pacesetter driven by Garrett Rooney, clinching the win in 1:58. Docsphillycheese finished second, while Pebble Beach Pro secured third.
This victory was a long time coming for Artie, whose last win was in the Valedictory Series in December 2023. Despite a challenging season with no wins in his previous 38 starts, he managed to finish second eight times and third on five occasions. The horse is trained by Dwayne May and owned and bred by Diane Sylvestre of Sarnia.
On the same race night, driver Travis Henry achieved a grand slam, closing the gap between himself and leader Garrett Rooney to just 10 wins.
The Raceway’s next event will feature the Drivers Holiday Challenge, supporting the Toys for Tots charity. Fans can catch the action starting at 5:50 p.m. EST.