CRHA Hall of Fame

Lorne was a well-known and well-loved Ottawa Valley sportsman and horseman and a long-time member of both the CRHA and OHHA. He served as President of the CRHA from 1987 to 1988. Lorne’s many friends were saddened and shocked by his sudden passing on August 30 of 2003 at the age of 80. Our sincere condolences on behalf of the membership go out to his entire family and many friends.

The Crawford family was a familiar sight at many shows across the province with Lorne accompanied by his wife, Alice, and their three children — Donna, Jim, and Kelly. A cousin, Gary Jones, could also be seen assisting with the driving at various shows as could former son-in-law, Dave Alce. Son, Jim, remembers that “Dad always enjoyed watching and encouraging the younger and new exhibitors … and the socializing.” And then there were Lorne’s “cheerleaders” — his many brothers and sisters (and their families) who could always be counted on to come out and show their support.

Without a doubt though, his greatest success was with Dr. Friday, with whom he enjoyed unparalleled success in capturing the Wagon Stake Class at the Royal Winter Fair and the Canadian Championship an astounding five consecutive years. This was a matter of great satisfaction and justifiable pride for Lorne (along with his wife, Alice) who owned, trained, and drove the small, Quebec-bred horse to all of his show ring victories. Dr. Friday came from the McCoy’s in Quebec whose interest in the Standardbred business continues with daughter, Sarah, married to Dr. John Hennessey and their son, Wade, who is a trainer.

While one of his biggest stars, Dr. Friday, passed from competition, Lorne continued to rack up the wins with a stable of well-remembered stars, such as Medicine Man, Dr. Pepper, and Street Talk. Medicine Man also won the Wagon Stake Class at the Royal with Gary Jones at the whip. Lorne’s most recent winners, Dream O’ Battle and Byes Empress, continue to do well for their current owners, Keith and Brian Harris of Quebec.

For many years and more recently, Lorne also campaigned trotters successfully at Rideau Carleton Raceway and Connaught Park. Among his top racehorses were On Track Macho, Maple Leaf Jet, Our Lucky Lady, and Double Luke.

We are proud to honour Lorne as our 2003 Hall of Fame inductee and to celebrate his many accomplishments — as a great horseman and as a wonderful person. Our thanks are extended to his family — Alice; Donna and her husband, Brian Wynn, and daughter, Jill; Jim; Kelly and her husband, Laurier Vallee, and newly-arrived daughter, Angele; his many brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces, and close friends — for sharing in this celebration with us.