BY SCOTT
HADDOW
When harness driver Gerry Belanger was a young lad, he would go
to Sudbury Downs with his family to watch his uncle dominate
the track.
At the age of six, Belanger would peer through the spaces
between the boards on the fence surrounding the storied
facility, keenly watching the drama unfold every Wednesday and
Saturday night.
Belanger had always been a horse lover and the thrill of
competing on one of the majestic beasts eventually proved to be
too much of a lure.
At 12, Belanger shackled himself to his Uncle Phil Belanger,
a quality racer in his own right. Belanger became Phil's
shadow, slowly learning the ropes of harness racing.
"Where Uncle Phil went, I went," said the 31-year-old
driver. "The excitement of harness racing got to me...It was
just something I had to do. It was in my blood."
But first, Belanger had to go through the laboured process
of obtaining his racing licence by passing the grooming and
training stages, before finally being legally allowed to race
at age 18.
Soon after, Belanger won his first race at Sudbury Downs,
completing the circle his uncle had started.
He did it on a horse he bought in London called Ty Chrisane.
Fast forward to now, Belanger has become one of the most
successful young drivers in Ontario.
Recently, the Azilda native roared to his 1,000th career
victory, proving his worth as a bona fide competitor.
Belanger took his top stable horse, Thomson Seelster, and
rode him to victory two weeks ago to surpass the magical
1,000-win mark.
Needless to say, the moment is forever etched in Belanger's
mind.
"When I crossed the wire, I had goosebumps," said the former
Azilda High School student. "It was a big accomplishment and I
felt great and proud. It was especially nice to do at Sudbury
Downs. I was hoping to do it here because of the people who
have been supporting me over the years."
When he started driving years ago, Belanger had little idea
how fast he would rack up 1,000 wins.
"Fifty percent of drivers get 1,000 wins in a really good
career," said Belanger. "I wasn't sure what I would end up
achieving. You never know if you're good at something until you
try it...and I guess I am good at driving."
Belanger's talent doesn't go unnoticed.
"Gerry has something that's special," said Ken Le Drew,
general manager of Sudbury Downs. "He's had it since he got his
driving licence. He started winning races right away. You could
see it in him. Every once and a while, a driver will come along
that has a different instinct...and knows when and how to do
the right things. He also has the ability to get the horses to
do the right thing."
Belanger is also well respected around the tracks.
"Gerry's a gentleman," said Le Drew. "He's respectful, smart
and quick. One thousand wins is very significant. A very small
group of people fit into that select category at our track. A
lot of guys, who have been in the sport a long time and done
well, never got to 1,000 wins."
Belanger's excellent skills as a driver were on full display
earlier this month when he raced under very adverse conditions.
It was dreary night and the track was in awful condition. The
mud on the track was as thick as concrete and just as hard to
drive through.
But Belanger plowed through, competing in all 12 races,
winning an astonishing nine of them and taking one second-place
finish, a third and a fourth. It was a record-breaking evening
and helped pave the way to the 1,000-win milestone.
It was a dream night, but what followed showed just how harsh
the sport can be.
"It was an unbelievable night," said the College Boreal graduate. "It was one of those nights I could do no wrong.
Everything I did just clicked. There was no tight
wins...every win was by at least a length. What was funny was
the next race night, I won none...that's racing. It's nice to
have the track record for wins in one night. I hope it never
goes down, and if it does, I hope it's by me."
Belanger constantly pushes himself, which is why he's at the
top of the hill.
"Gerry has a very positive attitude," said Charlotte Hohner,
Belanger's mother-in-law and manager. "He can do any challenge.
He gets the best he can out of each horse."
Belanger patterns himself after his idol, racer Doug Brown,
and for good reason.
"When I was a kid, Doug came to race at Sudbury Downs...I ran
to him after one of his races and got him to sign my hat," said
Belanger. "He was classy and I knew I wanted to be like him. In
2000, I beat him in a race at Woodbine Raceway, which is one of
my fondest memories. Going down the stretch, we were
nose-and-nose, but I beat him by a few inches. It was a true
thrill."
Belanger's schedule has him going seven days a week. He
lives in Barrie so he can race year round. When not racing and
taking care of his beloved horses, Belanger spends time with
his wife, Stacey Hohner, and one-year-old son, Tyler.
"Things are good right now and I am thankful."
