Hi, this is Fred Wallace with ” Off the Wire “, proudly sponsored by Pete’s Auto Body.
Pete’s Auto Body; because we care about our community.
We’ve all heard the adage action speaks louder than words.
In the world of local sports nobody personified that more than harness racing legend Bud Fritz.
A man of precious few words, trust me a trackside interview with Bud was never lengthy, the resume of his success in horse racing is extremely lengthy.
More than 70 years ago, Fritz made his debut at Elmira Raceway and during his career he won the track driving title there along with similar driving titles at Orangeville, at Western Fair, at Hanover Raceway and at the old Owen Sound track.
In his career he won just shy of 2,000 races and then as a trainer he won more than 1,000 times bumping his career earnings into the 8 digit category
In 1990 Bud Fritz drove 3-year-old pacing colt Apaches Fame to victory in the $1 million North America Cup, Canada’s richest harness race, before a near capacity crowd at Toronto’s Greenwood Raceway.
Another prominent horse for Bud Fritz at that time was A Worthy Lad who won 30 straight races.
On 3 occasions, Bud Fritz won an O’Brien Award title as Canada’s Horseman of the Year and also won an O’Brien once as Canada’s Trainer of the Year.
Inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 2001, his legacy in local harness racing circles continues through his sons and grandchildren who are involved in the sport and display a high degree of passion for the industry, plus most recently Hanover Raceway has named its Rising Star Award in his honour.
A man of few words and major accomplishments, William ” Bud ” Fritz of Walkerton.
For Pete’s Auto Body, I’m Fred Wallace