MacDonald Steps Aside

Published: July 30, 2018 09:02 am EDT

I am a big believer in fate.

Last Friday, my flight was cancelled to New Jersey due to weather and I subsequently missed my drive on Lawmaker in his prep race for the Hambletonian.

Dave Miller filled in and got along very well with the colt. He joked that he would love driving the colt in the future if we ever needed him again.

For over 20 years, I've driven horses and amassed over 3,000 wins.

But there is much more than 40 pounds difference between Dave Miller and Anthony MacDonald, of that I'm very aware. Given the fact that Dave got along well with Lawmaker and he is willing to drive him, I'll be resigning the drive on Lawmaker to him on Hambo Day in East Rutherford.

Lawmaker may be a longshot on Saturday but what he represents is immense for a lot of people inside and outside this industry: everyday people racing in one of North America's biggest races.

As you can imagine, this was a very difficult decision for me, growing up watching the Hambletonian and dreaming of the day I got my shot.

As a driver, I want to be the one on the gate next Saturday, but as the co-owner of thestable.ca I have a much bigger responsibility a huge group of people.

I could make a case to drive Lawmaker, but I made a very public promise to current and future clients of thestable.ca to always try to do what's best for the horse and our clients no matter the circumstances. Allowing Dave Miller to watch the Hambletonian from the drivers' room in order to chase my dream on other people's dime runs contrary to what thestable.ca stands for.

Driving horses full-time isn't my life any longer. Attempting to better horse racing, and building a blueprint for success moving forward is what matters most.

It has consumed a great deal of my time, but allowed my wife and I an opportunity to deliver the game we all love to the place it originated and belongs: right in the heart of society, where the everyday men and women can experience the greatest thrill they will ever have.

We have proven that affordable ownership is the lightning rod this industry needs to grow in every direction needed to succeed:

• customer service
• participation
• engagement
• attendance
• fan base

From these five cornerstones, the limits of our future are endless. When executed properly, it can only grow wagering revenue and be the rising tide that literally floats all boats in this industry.

I'm certainly not going to rule out ever driving in the Hambletonian. But this Saturday is not my time.


The views presented in Trot Blogs are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Standardbred Canada.

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