Memories of Sackville Downs trotted out in Truro

Cherished memories of harness racing at Sackville Downs came back to life at Truro Raceway on Sunday at an event commemorating the now-defunct venue.

Dairy farmer John T. Cruickshank opened the Sackville Downs harness racing track in Lower Sackville in 1955 and it had many successful seasons but was eventually closed 38 years ago, in 1986.

Veteran driver Danny Romo said the Remembering Sackville Downs day provided him a chance to reunite with colleagues he's known over the years.

Romo, 71, said he first raced at Sackville Downs when he was 19.

"A lot of the guys are getting older now and we're kind of dying off but there's still lots of them left," he said. "It was a great racetrack back in the day."

He said he was expecting to hear a "lot of lies" and stories through the day, which included nine races with former Sackville Downs drivers and the families of former drivers in attendance.

Gary Fraser, one of the organizers of Sunday's event, said a lot of work went into letting people know about it. 

The 78-year-old made about 170 phone calls to spread the word and said seeing the event come to fruition made it all worthwhile.

Speaking before the 1 p.m. start time, Fraser said he had already seen people at the event that he hadn't seen in decades.

"It's going to be a lot of old faces seeing each other," he said. "All of us old guys are putting name tags on so we know who each other is when we see them."

Dave Carey, a former trainer and driver at Sackville Downs, said he was also enjoying catching up with people he hadn't seen in a long time. He said many of them had arrived days before the event to socialize with former colleagues and competitors.

Carey said Sunday would mark the last drive of his career.

"I quit two years ago so I wasn't expecting this one," Carey said. "They give me a bye to race today and I was allowed to drive so I'm driving."

A display of memorabilia from the Sackville track was on display at the Truro Raceway grandstand. A silent auction was also held with proceeds going to Colchester and Lower Sackville food banks.

Fraser said it would be great if younger people want to continue the Remembering Sackville Downs event but said it was a "one-shot deal" for him.

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