Six months after her husband Karl passed away from cancer, Linda Magid stood very alone, in a crowded Woodbine grandstand,
wondering if her late husband’s homebred Matts Scooter colt could actually win a race that Karl had always coveted - the $1.1 million Metro Pace. It’s a moment in time that she’ll never forget. By Chris Lomon
It’s a moment – 16 years later – that still brings out the emotion in Linda Magid.
As the starter called the field for the $1.2 million Metro Pace final on the night of September 1, 2001, Magid stood in a crowded Woodbine grandstand, her eyes unwaveringly focused on the horse wearing the yellow saddlecloth with the No. 6 on it.
She was flanked by a couple of her closest friends, there to support her and the horse bred by her late husband, Karl, who passed away from cancer in February, 2001, never having the opportunity to watch the handsome son of Matts Scooter compete.
Magid didn’t need to tell anyone how meaningful it would be if Mach Three won.
“When you’re in the horse business, you’re always dreaming of winning the big race,” said Magid. “It was the Metro Pace that Karl was always so wanting to be in, to hopefully be successful in it with one of his horses. And Mach Three was the very first one to be in that position.”
With Michel Lachance in the sulky, Mach Three took the early lead, but was soon overtaken. At the head of the stretch call, the bay, sent off at 5-2, was in fifth, four lengths back of the leader, Western Shooter, and stuck behind a wall of horses.
Magid figured the race was over.
“When he was boxed in, I thought to myself, ‘Oh, well. That’s it. It was a good try.’”
Acceptance of defeat soon turned to anxious anticipation when Lachance found an opportunity to swing Mach Three to the outside, as the duo desperately worked in tandem to collar their rivals.
The colt was rolling, but Magid wasn’t sure if he could get there in time.
In the shadow of the wire, four horses had a shot to take all the spoils. Western Shooter went off stride in the final steps and Mach Three, under emphatic urging from Lachance, poked a head in front for the victory, over Three Olives in 1:51.4.
Magid didn’t quite know how to react. Despite seeing her star carve out a flashy :26.3 final quarter, everything appeared to be unfolding in slow motion.
“One minute, he was behind so many horses and then he was flying,” she recalled. “I think I was in a little bit of a shock. Of course, I was cheering and jumping, but it kind of took me by surprise because of the way the race was going. There didn’t seem to be enough time for him to get up, but they found a way. It was a beautiful surprise.”
Magid still vividly remembers the walk to the winner’s circle and the first thing she did when she saw Mach Three.
“I was still in a trance on my way over,” she said with a laugh. “I gave him a big kiss and a big hug. He was a very, very gentle horse.”
Mach Three would win seven of nine starts, along with a pair of seconds, in his two-year-old campaign, for earnings of $954,708, without ever stepping foot outside of Canada.
He had turned many heads with his undeniable talent, including the late Joe Muscara Sr. of Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania, who came to Magid with an offer to purchase the star pacer.
In May of Mach Three’s sophomore campaign, the deal – with a $2.2 million price tag – was done.
“I didn’t want to sell him at all,” offered Magid. “I really didn’t. But I finally did. It just got to the point where I would have been silly not to have sold him.”
“That was all my father,” said Bob Muscara, of the decision to purchase Mach Three. “It was a high price at that time for an individual purchase. John Curtin was an integral part of that purchase. He was the agent. He came up here and I think he sat at Linda’s doorstep for a week or something. Obviously, my dad was running the show, but John was very important in getting the horse.”
In 2002, Mach Three, competing for his new ownership, notched another career highlight, winning the $1 million Meadowlands Pace in a career-best 1:49. He became the first colt to win both the Metro Pace and Meadowlands Pace.
Mach Three went 18-4-2 in 27 career starts with earnings of $2,376,700. His final race was a fourth in the 2002 Breeders Crown at Woodbine. He was predominantly driven by Randy Waples at two and John Campbell at three.
In a stallion career split between Tara Hills Stud Farm in Ontario and Alabar Farms in New Zealand, he produced 1,312 offspring to date, with total progeny earnings of $107.3 million for average earnings per starter of $115,396, including 309 horses with earnings of $100,000 or more. His first foals arrived in 2004.
Mach Three is the sire of the Hall of Fame legend and super-sire Somebeachsomewhere ($3.3 Million, 1:46.4 World Record). To date, Mach Three has sired five millionaires including Somebeachsomewhere, Mach It So, Monkey On My Wheel, Solar Sister and Camaes Fellow.
On January 20, 2017, Mach Three, at the age of 18, was euthanized at Alabar Farms after he suffered a broken leg in a paddock accident.
“On the track, with him, it was fabulous,” said Muscara, of the horse trained by Bill, Brett, and Shawn Robinson, along with Monte Gelrod. “When you think of him off the track as a stallion, he was still at the top of his game. He’s been absolutely stunning. He was at a point where his name sold himself. He always had a full book up here and Down Under. It’s unbelievable what he did. Who knows how many more years he would had? Five years?
“As bad as the family feels, we feel bad for those two farms,” he continued. “They deal with those horses day-to-day. I felt so bad for Graeme Henley (General Manager) at Alabar. When they had to put Mach Three down, he had to make that call. It was just awful for him. There was no other decision he could have made, nothing else could have been done – there was just no choice. And even having no choice, he felt so bad about it. We felt like he (Mach Three) was hitting full stride and that he was at the top of his game. That horse has been the star of our family.”
Mach Three was honoured by Tara Hills stallioneer Pat Lang, who along with Genevieve Brydson, Director of Development at The Refuge Youth Outreach Centre, established a scholarship fund – The Mach Three Fund – that will provide inspiration for the homeless and street youth who utilize the services at the Oshawa, Ontario drop-in centre.
“It was such an honour and privilege to work with Mach Three,” Lang told Trot Insider after his passing. “Very few horses had his qualities.”
And very few enjoyed such a prolific career on and off the racetrack.
It’s what made Mach Three a slam-dunk for induction into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame (the ceremony is August 9 in Mississauga, ON) in his first year of eligibility. The announcement came two months after his passing.
For those who knew him best, it’s a most fitting honour.
“There’s no doubt at that,” said Muscara. “It’s remarkable, it’s extraordinary and it’s a great honour. But my dad was very pragmatic also. As far as my dad was concerned, he had always been in the Hall of Fame in his mind. All you were doing was confirming what was in his mind any way: that horse has been in the Hall since he won the Meadowlands Pace.”
For Magid, the announcement brought back a wealth of memories, including that September night at Woodbine when the chance to experience a fairytale moment seemed a longshot at best.
“All these years, it’s still unbelievable,” she said. “He was quite an amazing horse. I remember all those proud moments. Karl would have been… I just can’t imagine. He would be so proud to see him going into the Hall of Fame.”
