Special Gold has been crowned Champion of Champions after two days of stellar performances at the conclusion of the 2023-24 harness pony racing season.

However, not only did the curtain fall on the latest season but also on the racing and ownership careers of veteran campaigners Antwan Edwards and Lee Raynor Jr., with the latter going out in style as co-owner of the triumphant Special Gold.

Long dominant among local shores since being imported to Bermuda from Indiana, Raynor’s charge did not disappoint during what may well have been his final competitive outing at the Devonshire facility.

With Kiwon Waldron in the sulky, the stallion began his victory charge on Saturday with a stunning first race. After starting from the disadvantaged post three track position, Waldron successfully overcame the likes of Gold-N-Glory and Somegoldsomewhere to cross the finish line first.

The second race was easier as Special Gold began from the rail and maintained the lead to the end, with those results combining with a first and second-place finish on Sunday to provide a fitting send-off for Raynor and the horse.

“I’m satisfied with today’s results and the success of this season,” said Raynor, who manages the horse along with his son and co-owner Sergio Raynor.

“We are retired altogether. The horse may end up with new ownership, but that’s pending as we analyse things and meditate on the way forward. He might end up racing here under new ownership. He’s only eight years old and still in his prime.

“I can’t speak for Antwan, but we’ve been at it for 30-plus years, which takes its toll on you and is a big commitment.

“It takes away from you and the family quite a bit and it’’s expensive, but when you love something you persevere and endure whatever it may be.

“We’ve reached the end of the road and when you reach a point you know that it’s time to go and move on. I’ve reached that point and feel blessed to be able to go out on top.

“He’s one of the fastest ponies in the world and among the fastest to have set foot in this country and I’m very proud of that. At the moment, I’m not sure if I’ll sell him or send him to Indiana for breeding, but I’m sure that if he is bred his offspring will be of high quality and will shine through.”

Raynor and Special Gold departed while still in possession of the fastest recorded time for stallions at Vesey Street, a 1:01/2, which he achieved in February 2022.

Co-owner Sergio Raynor offered a bittersweet farewell to his father on the occasion of his retirement from the sport, while expressing gratitude to supporters.

“I’m happy with a little, sad emotion and I just want to thank everyone who helped and supported Special Gold over the years,” said Sergio Raynor.

“Uncle Ant, Kiwon and so many people, you know who you are and I respect and appreciate you.

“To my daddy, Happy retirement. You earned and deserved all the success you have achieved and I’m thankful for our journey together. We have our reward.

“Seeing Special Gold from a baby to now and seeing him improve every race let me know that he was serious about the job from day one.

“I am honoured to have been able to train him, call the shots with regard to the harness set-up and you have allowed me to make many key decisions with strategy. They will never see another stallion like this again.”

Barely less successful than Raynor over the weekend was Edwards, whose Special Tux claimed first and third-place finishes on day two to go with a pair of firsts the da previous.

“He’s tried my patience a lot, because, in the beginning he couldn’t pace himself to break,” said Edwards of the grandchild of former champion pony Shamrock Tuxedo.

“But he’s steadily improved and this year was an exceptional one for him. It’s taken a lot of time, effort and sacrifice to get to this point and achieve the desired results. It’s been 21 years since I started and I’m proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish.

“I’ve endured a really bad accident down here, but it’s a career that’s been satisfying and enjoyable.”

Driving Horse and Pony Club [DHPC] president Andy Stoneham paid tribute to Raynor and Edwards for their contributions to the sport, while also highlighting the abundance of young drivers coming through.

“It’s sad to lose anybody, but they are not that old where they need to retire,” said Stoneham, who is hopeful the pair will remain involved.

“But sometimes people reach a point, where it’s time to bow out and you have to respect that. You do not have to agree with it, but you have to respect it.

“Let’s face it, Bermuda does not have a lot of things going on so people that are not even horse people gravitate to the races and come out.

“We have a good bunch of juniors and I would say that the juniors are holding up the club right now. They are fiery, they’re dedicated and give us something to look forward to as well as the sport gives them something to focus upon as opposed to some things they probably shouldn’t focus on.

“The whole network that Paul and Candyce Martins have in allowing juniors to join that free and give them something to do other than playing video games or staying inside, basically it gives them something to do outside

“I’m happy to see as many juniors as we have. The season may be over but it’s been a good season other than us having a tremendous amount of rain in the last year, which played havoc on a few race days that we had to cancel, so I believe we’ve had a good season.”

Special Gold was not the only major winner as Candyce Martins guided Double Time to the Champion of Champions Dash B title.

Martins gave little quarter as shen drove the leading Bermuda-bred pony to first and second-place finishes on each day

Other winners over the weekend included Pokie’s Fly By [MaCray Bulford], Smart Machine [Candyce Martins], Inwood’s Realist [Tahzi Flood], Inwood’s Progress [Danielle Correia], War Machine [Darico Clarke], Somegoldsome [Teshi Zuill] Iron Mike [Danielle Correia] and Double Time [Candyce Martins].