Ah, Atlantic Canada is indeed a very special place. The ocean breezes . . . they may not be quite as pleasant as those advertised in the tourist brochures for June, July and August come January, February and March on the East Coast . . . but as the snow, sleet, freezing rain and whatever else drops from the heavens here (hopefully no rubber chickens), we continue to get our two year olds in gear, stuff ourselves at industry banquets and attend “symposiums,” if we happen to receive an invitation. The stallions are upon us too. And what a powerful and ...

Melissa Keith, an Atlantic Post Calls regular freelance writer was honoured on February 12 in Florida at the United States Harness Writers Association’s Annual Dan Patch Awards Dinner. She received a John Hervey award for excellence in harness racing journalism. Keith was recognized for her story titled “HPI: The Future of Live Racing?” which appeared in the March 18, 2011 edition of Atlantic Post Calls . It was quite a day for the Halifax writer who was seated with Glenn Van Kamp and his wife, Rod Hughes and his wife, Darryl Kaplan and his parents – all within earshot of Jeff ...

Hello again racing fans, and welcome to another edition of the Rambles. I hope all of the horse people out there in Post Calls land remembered Valentine’s Day and did something a little extra special for that significant someone. There’s lots of action around the Prince County tracks these days, folks, as yearling purchases are being prepped for the stakes season and aged horses are starting to jog back after some well deserved rests. We hope February finds your horses fat and sound as we have a little more than two months until opening day in Charlottetown. Let’s get rambling ...

For as long as I can remember, this is the time of the year when the reports start filtering in from trainers to owners about how our yearling stock is doing. With stakes payments to the Metro or Sweetheart due this month, it’s always pretty dicey. Having been involved in the game in Ontario in previous years, I know the pressure. Will we need to stake this one to all the big ones? Should we hold off because the filly has a curb? Does the trotter show enough maturity to be a candidate for the Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Series? Can ...

Atlantic Canada has experienced a year of racing thrills and regrettable spills. Fortunately the thrills outnumbered the spills in 2011, but there were some nasty accidents across the region. Red Shores in Charlottetown had a few; so did Northside Downs, Exhibition Park Raceway and Truro. One of those accidents, along the Truro Raceway oval, involved a six-horse pile up in an eight-house field. In that one, on October 2, Clayton Stevens and his filly Capital Deal, in the lead, went down and five more horses and drivers got caught up in the mishap. Gilles Barrieau, Clayton Stevens and Hilliard Graves sustained ...

According to the Chinese Zodiac, 2011 is the year of the rabbit; bringing with it a year for which we can catch our breath and calm our nerves. 2011 was a hopping year at Truro Raceway, with its fair share of unforgettable races and sensational performances. In the past 12 months, Truro Raceway has had its fair share of ups and downs. We had two new track records and some people close to us passed away. A few nasty accidents sent drivers and upset horse lovers. We also witnessed some heartwarming stories on the racetrack and the generosity of the ...

There’s been a lot written about Marc Campbell – recently and throughout the year – by yours truly and everyone else. This column might sound like a broken record but “The Year of Campbell” continues, with his recent record-breaking day at the Charlottetown Driving Park and also, an O’Brien award nomination! Campbell broke the dash-win record for a single year at the Red Shores Charlottetown, with a driving triple, on Saturday, December 10. A catch-drive win with Armbro Dandelion equalled the record, and then his victory with Kathy Furness’s Zanzibar became the record breaker. The win total now stands at ...

The 2011 Newfoundland harness racing season was one filled with new and exciting events along with the traditional ones from years past. Each and every one was put together by the Newfoundland Harness Horse Owner’s Association (NHHOA) and the Ladies Auxiliary. June 23rd was the day for the sixth consecutive NHHOA Youth Camp. With the weather being very cooperative, there was a large turnout. The event offered rides on horseback, a chance to jog a horse with one of the seven drivers dressed in their racing colours, face painting, and a BBQ supplied by the SJREC for all involved. ...

The 13th running of the Atlantic Breeders Crown Finals held Sunday, October 9, 2011, was a tremendous success. The race card featured record-setting racing and record-setting weather. Red Shores Charlottetown was abuzz with excitement all day long. Just three days after the track cancelled its Thursday night card because of unsafe conditions due to a very sloppy track, the weather decided to cooperate for Atlantic Breeders Crown weekend. The track was very fast and the conditions just perfect, thanks to warm temperatures on Sunday. If not for the absence of a ferris wheel in the background, a picture of the spectator-filled ...

The 2011 Atlantic Classic Sale took place on Friday, October 7, at the Crapaud Exhibition Grounds in PEI. Eighty-eight of the 109 yearlings offered were actually sold at a sale average of $3,982.The sales topper was Hip #102, Pictonian Tabitha, purchased for $20,000 by Dan Ross of Belfast, Prince Edward Island. The daughter of Western Paradise is a half-sister to Maritime record holder Southview Special and half-brother to Ross’s three-year-old pacer Pictonians Matador, who looks like a late bloomer and has shown some speed lately. The top priced colt was Hip #11, Pedal Steel, a son of Brandons Cowboy, purchased ...