It was all sunny skies on Sunday afternoon as fans came out in full force to attend Clare MacDonald Day at Truro Raceway.
The event celebrating the accomplishments of Clare MacDonald, a talented horsewoman and the winningest active female driver in North America, also supported the Alzheimer Society of Nova Scotia. The racetrack sold t-shirts in MacDonald's colours, commemorative posters and had a live silent auction, 50/50 draw and every race was sponsored in support of the charity.
"It means a lot to our family," said MacDonald of supporting the Alzheimer Society. "My mother was a victim of it, and quite a few relatives on that side of the family, so it's something that has touched our lives deeply and has a lasting effect on anybody who's had to deal with it. It's so prevalent this day and age, I thought that's a worthy cause."
MacDonald signed autographs and did meet and greets with a large contingent of fans who wanted to meet and celebrate Canada’s all-time leading female driver for wins (1,529) and purse earnings ($4,967,986).
"It's great to see the support," said MacDonald following a special presentation in the winner's circle amid a large gathering of family, friends and fans from her hometown of Antigonish, N.S. "They're have been over the years an awful lot of faithful followers of the harness racing industry from our hometown. A lot of it stemmed from my father's involvement and [my husband] Kenny's father's involvement. There was an awful lot of horses that came out of that area for years. Hopefully, down the road, we may see some more keep filtering up this way."
After the fourth race presentation, MacDonald got back into the race bike to drive in three races during the last half of the card, picking up a close second-place finish in race eight with Risin Horizon.
To view Sunday's complete harness racing results, click the following link: Sunday Results - Truro Raceway.
(With files from Truro Raceway)