Once again dear readers, here’s my annual highlight reel of PEI’s harness racing year. It’s somewhat down east oriented I admit and only one man’s opinion. Still I hope you enjoy.
Kings County native son Marc Campbell’s story is my top headline. At the relatively young age of 27, Campbell hit the Trifecta every Island horseman dreams of. He broke the seasonal win record at the ‘Charlottetown Driving Park’, will be Atlantic Canada’s leading driver in 2011 and Standardbred Canada has just announced he’s one of two finalists nationwide for The O’Brien Award of Horsemanship. Thus far, Campbell has 172 wins in 831 starts and a driving average of .336 for the year. He’s also collected $357,641 in purse money. Couldn’t happen to a better person. Marc is a class act, a credit to his family, his community and harness racing.
Veteran trainer/driver Kenny Arsenault’s year also makes my personal best list. This is a guy who quietly goes about his business and always brings his ‘A’ game to the track. He had a Trifecta in 2011 as well. To wit; captured his first Governor’s Plate with the Wade Peconi/Ryan MacPhee owned Serious Damage during Lobster Carnival week in Summerside; won the Atlantic Canada Driving Championship in front of his hometown crowd at the CDP last January and recorded his 2,500th career win in June. All in all it was a great year for a good guy and a top horseman.
Noteworthy as well, PEI hosted the National Driving Championship in May. Ontario representative Jody Jamieson won the event and then went on to capture the world title for the second time.
You cannot write about a year in racing on PEI without discussing the Gold Cup & Saucer. Old Home Week in August saw the 52nd running of the annual event at the ‘Charlottetown Driving Park’. For the third time, Mark MacDonald won the coveted trophy. This year it was with the Dean Nixon trained, Leo Racicot owned Blissful Breeze in 1:53.1. It was a historic moment for Mark’s family as well. Parents Gail and Freddy had the pleasure of seeing three of their sons in the race as Anthony and James also had mounts.
Dale & Ronnie Rennie’s Formal Affair dominated the Maritime’s top class. He won most of the region’s major events including the Exhibition Cup, the Deagle Memorial, Inverness Invitational, as well as the Milton Downey, Johnny Conroy and Chippin Memorials. Because of our long-time family connections, I’ve had fun watching Formal Affair’s pilot Mark Bradley in action. I was also particularly pleased to see the horse’s trainer, David Rose of Mount Stewart enjoying his success.
Turning to down east highlights, there were a multitude to choose from. The Atlantic Stakes events were hotly contested all year and the Breeders Crown finals saw the locals shine. Ralph Annear won the 3-year-old Trot with his outstanding Maple Leaf Spirit. A homebred, owned by Ralph and Steven Sorrie, she won her Crown and equalled the CDP 3-year-old Filly Trot record of 2:00.3 doing it. Spirit had 11 wins and two seconds for the year and won purses totaling $43,634. The Belfast boys also figured prominently in Atlantic Breeders Crown events, as Dan Ross’s Pictonian Souwest won the 3-year-old Pace in a sparkling 1:56.2. He had 12 starts in 2011, won six of them and earned just over $34,000. Ross also shared ownership with Billy Bell in the 2-year-old Pacing Filly Crown winner Pictonian Amanda. The 2-year-old Pacing Colt Crown went to Reg MacPherson’s Astronomical Union, while the freshman Trot was taken by Jonathan MacDonald’s My Daisy Duke. The Clare MacDonald trained and driven Honey Do Jigtime, owned by Morah Kerr and Phonsie MacEachern was the 3-year-old Filly winner.
I don’t want to move away from the colts without mentioning Cory MacPherson’s drive of the Tierney family’s Waiting On A Woman, to a 1:58.4 mark at the CDP in September. Quite a feat for a 3-year-old colt and equalled the track’s all-age record held by Moblessinsdinblues.
The ladies were also making major marks in Island harness racing this year. Ann MacNeill of Sees The Moment Photography picked up her O’Brien Award at the Standardbred Canada ‘do’ in January and also was the official photographer for the world famous Harrisburg Sale this past November. Trainer Cindy MacDonald was honoured as the Island’s Horsewoman of the Year by the PEISHOA in February.
She continues to be successful, especially with trotter Saulsbrook Balance, who she owns in partnership with Tanya MacKinnon. And how about Katie Gene Miller? The NS native, who’s enrolled in the pre-vet program at UPEI, beat all the boys in the NB Young Guns Championship during Fredericton’s FREX Week. In 129 drives this year she’s had 45 top three finishes. Can you say rising star?
Then there’s Sandra Stead and her Royal Jaguar N. What a great run they and trainer Trevor Hicken had in 2011. The old fellow went to the post 17 times and had six wins, two seconds, two thirds and paced a trip in 1:58.2. At one point he had five wins in a row at the CDP. They held a retirement pace for him Boxing Day, with a cooler for the winner. Sandra and Lowell tell me he’ll enjoy his remaining years at their farm in Lower Montague. Very classy.
Speaking of honours, I don’t want to leave out my old friend Hughie Graham who volunteers at Montague’s Garden of the Gulf Museum. This year he was the inaugural winner of the Dr. William Elliot Award for his research into PEI harness racing’s past.
Some series highlights we enjoyed were; the win in the Cecil Ladner Memorial by Joseph Michael, with Todd Trites in the bike. Also the Meridian Trot Series - Warrawee Jade’s six and a half length victory in the Final was certainly convincing. My personal favourite though, was the win by Joe Smallwood’s JK Special in the Erwin Andrew Memorial. Walter Cheverie managed to capture the final in 1:57 flat, despite the fact the mare was on the outside every step of the trip.
I also want to mention the Matinee tracks and the younger generation. I thought 12-year-old Kyle DesRoche’s first ever win at O’Leary with Gold And Chances last summer was pretty neat. Kyle’s brother, 15-year-old Ryan was the trainer. That’s the personification of what’s so great about Susan Whelan’s Matinee Track Development Program. Keep the faith Sue.
Finally, there’s too many to name them all, but here’s some honourable mentions for down east horses and their owners that we’ve enjoyed watching this year. In no particular order;
Blue Star Outlaw – Don MacRae
Pan Cushion – Jordan Hicken
Last Art On Deck – Ian Drake
Rebel Ryan – Kevin MacLean
Sombrero Blue Chip – Jen Trainor
Incredible Mike – Judy MacLeod
Diana Car – Mike Bailey & Ambrose Laybolt
Acton Onelasttime – Jim Whelan
Roscoes Child – Selkirk Stables
In closing, kudos to Tom Mullally and Brett Revington of Atlantic Lotto. They’ve shown what a difference professional management can make to PEI Harness Racing. Lots more to do though and I have high hopes for 2012.
Happy New Year all.

Questions/Comments? hal.al@sympatico.ca