From one of the nation's smallest tracks to the national — and possibly international — stage. It sounds like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but lightning has struck twice for Nova Scotia's Redmond Doucet. 

Perennially one of the top drivers at Inverness Raceway in Cape Breton, Doucet won three of the eight races in the 2024 Atlantic Regional Driving Championship (ARDC), presented by Standardbred Canada, on Saturday, May 25 at Red Shores Racetrack & Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park in Charlottetown. P.E.I. and will advance to the 2024 National Driving Championship (NDC) on Friday, July 5 at Hippodrome 3R in Quebec.

Doucet scored a total of 62 points over the eight-race competition, besting P.E.I.'s David Dowling (52) and New Brunswick's Todd Trites (51). With the top-two finishers advancing to the NDC, both Doucet and Dowling will compete for a chance to represent Canada at the 2025 World Driving Championship in New Zealand. 

Outrageous Song provided Doucet with his first ARDC leg tally in the second ARDC dash, pacing in 1:58 and paying $3.30 to win. Doucet then won the last two legs of the ARDC, winning in wire-to-wire fashion with 12-year-old veteran pacer Moonwriter (1:56; $3.80) and seven-year-old Three Trick Gainer (1:57.4; $5.40, pictured above).

Lee Drake and Andrea Rennison of Standardbred Canada flank Redmond Doucet (Gail MacDonald photo)

The 42-year-old Doucet, who works by day as a customer service technician for a major telecommunications company, finished second in the 2018 ARDC at Truro Raceway and represented his region at the NDC at Grand River Raceway in Elora, Ont. Dowling will make his first NDC appearance.

Doucet and Dowling will compete at the NDC in July against defending champion Doug McNair, Ontario Regional Driving Championship qualifiers Tyler Borth and James MacDonald, Western Regional Driving Championship representatives Phil Giesbrecht and Mike Hennessy, plus two drivers from the upcoming Quebec / Eastern Ontario Regional Driving Championship on Sunday, June 2.

While Doucet's career numbers — 4,177 starts, 924 wins and just over $1.3 million in purse earnings — might not boast the quantity of his competition, his quality is world class. In fact, Doucet boasted the best Universal Driver Rating in the nation back in 2020, with his 0.459 UDRS that year also ranking as the best average in North America for drivers limited to between 300 and 500 starts.

Factor into the equation that Doucet did not have a pari-mutuel start in 2024 before today's card as his hometown track doesn't start its 2024 season until Sunday, May 26. These races were, literally, his first starts off the proverbial bench.

"I thought I had some good horses, for sure. They looked good on paper. But it was my first time driving this year, so I was a little rusty, to be honest with you," said Doucet, clearly excited about earning another chance to represent Canada. "Post is everything on a half-mile track and I had some good posts with front-end horses there in the last couple of races. It worked out for me."

The final leaderboard ARDC leaderboard is as follows:

1. Redmond Doucet - 62
2. David Dowling - 52
3. Todd Trites - 51
4. Marc Campbell - 49
5. Corey MacPherson - 38
6. Paul Langille - 26
7. Ken Murphy - 21
8. Ardon Mofford - 17

Here's how the ARDC races unfolded. 

ARDC Race 1 (CDP Race 2)

Check Your Source ($12.10) made the front for driver David Dowling and then made every call a winning one to give the "Red Rocket" the early ARDC lead. After fractions of :28.2, :58 and 1:28.3, Check Your Source paced home in :29.4 for the comfortable score in 1:58.2 to give the Gord Hennessy trainee his first win of the season. Proudofyatoday finished a solid second for Todd Trites with Arnoldthepaperboy (Corey MacPherson) holding off Redwhiteandboots (Redmond Doucet) for third.

ARDC Leg 2 (CDP Race 4)

It was a first-over brush and crush for Redmond Doucet and Outrageous Song ($3.30), patiently stalking the pacesetting Topville Angelina (Ardon Mofford) after a :57.2 half, clearing through a 1:28.2 third quarter and then easily holding off Princess Halo (Marc Campbell) for the 1:58 victory. Catchafewrays (Paul Langille) was best of the rest in third.

ARDC Race 3 (CDP Race 5)

Sent off as the 1/9 choice, Tradition ($2.20) got the confident drive of a 1/9 shot from Marc Campbell. Pep In My Step (Doucet) cleared early from post four, then Campbell looped Tradition from the pocket to the top before the :28.1 opening quarter. Middle fractions were posted in :57.3 and 1:27.2, and those were comfortable enough for Tradition to pace home -- flat tire and all -- in :28.4 for the 1:56.1 tally. Pep In My Step held off Leaving Bruises (Corey MacPherson) for second.

ARDC Race 4 (CDP Race 6)

Todd Trites and One Rock ($6.30) capitalized on a front-end tussle between a bullish Big Boy Hill (Dowling) and favoured first-over grinder Sharky (Campbell) with a three-wide brush at the third quarter to engage Sharky around the far turn and pull away for the 1:57.1 decision. Sharky and Big Boy Hill rounded out the top trio.

ARDC Race 5 (CDP Race 7)

David Dowling became the first driver of the day to double up in ARDC action courtesy Woodmere Heather M ($4.50). Dowling spotted the four-year-old mare second over heading to the three-quarters, hit the three-wide button and the afterburners simultaneously, and the mare paced away from her rivals in a lifetime best 1:56.1 mile. Early leaders Ubettimagoodone (Trites) and Atlantic Star (Langille) completed the top trio.

ARDC Race 6 (CDP Race 8)

A break at the five-eighths mark from 1/9 favourite Rockin Corona (Doucet) paved the way for a major upset, and that mile came courtesy Corey MacPherson and 19-1 shot No Fool McKinley ($41.20). After clearing to the lead through a :28.3 first quarter, No Fool MacKinley kept rolling on the lead and paced the mile of his life in a career best 1:57. Fern Hill Hero (Trites) emerged from a three-horse photo to finish second ahead of Talk Some Smack (Ken Murphy) and Catch The Spark (Langille).

ARDC Race 7 (CDP Race 9)

Moonwriter ($3.80) gave Redmond Doucet his second win of the night, going wire-to-wire in 1:56. Solid Silver (Campbell) tried for gold but got the silver, with Midnight Mood next best in third. The start of the race was delayed due to a collision between Howmac Agustus (Trites) and Midnight Mood (Dowling), with APHRC judges giving horses and drivers the all clear to race.

ARDC Race 8 (CDP Race 10)

With his third win of the competition, Redmond Doucet once again made every call a winning one in the final leg with pylon starter Three Trick Gainer ($5.40). There was never an anxious moment for the Mach Three seven-year-old gelding, home in 1:57.4 to clinch top spot for Doucet in the ARDC and punch his ticket to Hippodrome 3R in July. David Dowling stayed for second with Cowboy Logic over Doc Darryl (Todd Trites) to clinch second in the competition.

The full video of the card from Charlottetown is available below.

To view the results from the Saturday card of harness racing at Red Shores, click the following link: Saturday Results - Charlottetown Driving Park.

SCORING

The Regional Driving Championships and the National Driving Championship will adopt the point system utilized in the World Driving Championship. Points will be awarded on the order of finish as follows:

• Number of Starters 7:
• 14 (1), 9 (2), 6 (3), 4 (4), 3 (5), 2 (6), 1 (7).

In the event of a scratch, the driving rep drawn to a horse shall drive the ‘also eligible’ horse.

In the event of a horse being scratched or where no horse is available, five (5) points shall be awarded to the driver concerned. If a horse is disqualified or a horse and driver fail to complete the race, they will receive one (1) point.

In the event of a dead heat for any placing in any race, the points for the horses involved will be added together and divided equally among the drivers concerned (eg. If there’s a dead heat for third between two horses, the points for third and fourth place will be added and divided among the drivers).

(Standardbred Canada)