BY KEITH LACEY
Sometimes in the weird and wonderful world of sports, you have a night you will never forget.
One of those nights took place for Lil' Gerry Belanger Wednesday night at Sudbury Downs.As part of a 12-race card, the talented driver rode to victory an incredible nine times, an all-time record for victories in a single night in the more than 30 years Sudbury Downs has hosted harness racing.
"It was just so exciting to watch and be part of," said Sudbury Downs general manager Ken Le Drew. "I went home that night and thought hard about the exciting things I'd seen in sports and I'm telling you watching this young man perform and win nine times during a single race card ranks right up there with anything I've ever seen in sports.
"It was simply incredible."
Belanger, the son of local horse owner Romo Belanger, got his start racing at Sudbury Downs about 10 years ago, said Le Drew, and he quickly emerged as one of the most talented and hard-working drivers.
Belanger moved to southern Ontario a few years ago to race against the top drivers and horses in the province, but tries to make it back to Sudbury Downs on a regular basis and has been present for most Wednesday evening race cards this season, said Le Drew.
Having a night to remember couldn't happen to a nicer young man, he said."Lil' Ger as they call him is just a great young man," he said.
"He's very much a gentleman and everyone around here really likes him."
Le Drew has worked in the harness racing industry his entire adult life and said Belanger's performance Wednesday ranks among the highlights of his career.
"It was truly something remarkable to see," he said.Belanger won all four of the trotting races on the 12-race program.
They included My Last Buck in the first race, lower optional claiming trot and Winsum Ranger in the second race preferred trotting class.Belanger then picked up a second, a fourth and a third in the next three races before going on a roaring tear winning in dominating fashion winning every one of the last seven races on the card.
His other winners were Atlasta Angel in the sixth, No Clue in the seventh (1:57.4 in the fastest race of the night), VC Jester in the eighth, Indy's Kylee in the ninth race not-listed trot, Sleuth in race 10 and Chuck N Ken in the 11th.Belanger closed out his remarkable evening by being in the sulky behind Backbeat Hall in the final race of the evening.
Belanger grew up in  Azilda just two miles from the Sudbury track where he first honed his driving skills. Three years ago he relocated to the Barrie area but still tries to find time to race on his hometown track on Wednesday nights. 
Belanager  will be back at Sudbury Downs this Sunday (August 6) as the track features its only afternoon race card of the season.
Featured are four divisions of the Ontario Sires Stakes for three-year-old filly pacers.
Belanger's previous best performance was a seven win night at Sudbury back before the turn of the millennium.
A couple of other drivers had also won seven races in one night, but to win nine on the same card had never been done since the track opened way back in 1974, said Le Drew.
