Truro Raceway has announced that it will be celebrating the career of Clare MacDonald with a special day in her honour, which will be a fundraising day for the Alzheimer Society of Nova Scotia on Sunday, Sept. 10 at the Bible Hill, N.S. track. 

A native of Antigonish, N.S., Mary Clare “Clare” MacDonald is Canada’s winningest female harness driver in victories (1,522) and purse earnings ($4,933,975) and was a recent finalist for the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. Her stats, all achieved while racing in the Atlantic provinces, rank her second among female drivers in North America, behind U.S. Hall of Fame member, the late Bea Farber-Erdman. 

A second-generation horseperson, MacDonald’s driving career began at age 17, with 19 wins in her first year. Since that time, in a career spanning over 40 years, she has surpassed $100,000 in annual earnings as a driver 25 times. Horses driven and/or trained by MacDonald have set track records at five tracks, and she also holds the honour of being the first driver to complete a sub-2:00 trotting mile in Atlantic Canada. 

“There is a lot of pride in Nova Scotia and the rest of Canada about the career that Clare has had and I know that fans will be excited to be able to meet her and get an autograph and a picture and share a story or two," said Steve Fitzsimmons, General Manager at Truro Raceway. "We’re excited to host this special day and I know a lot of people will mark it on their calendars as a must-attend day this year. “ 

“I’m appreciative of Truro Raceway for thinking of me for this special day," said MacDonald. "It also means a lot that we will be able to raise money for a worthy cause, such as the Alzheimer Society of Nova Scotia. It has touched a lot of people’s lives. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone on September 10th.” 

There will be a commemorative t-shirt in MacDonald's racing colours created, as well as some other swag items, with all proceeds going to the Alzheimer Society of Nova Scotia.

(With files from Truro Raceway and Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame)