Meg Crone’s 2024 racing season was one for the books. It was a career-defining year culminating in her first-ever O'Brien Award finalist nomination.
Crone's remarkable success wasn’t just a result of hard work but also of the incredible horses and owners backing her. Among them, one horse stood out above the rest: Amigo Volo. This seven-year-old trotter, with his stellar performances and unique personality, helped catapult the Cambridge, Ont.-based conditioner into the national spotlight.
But Crone’s journey with Amigo Volo — and with the Pinske family, who co-owns the horse with Floridian David J. Miller — is rooted in decades of connection and shared passion for the sport of harness racing.
Crone’s ties to the Pinske family spans more than 30 years, a relationship that began with the late Brian Pinske at Quad City Downs in Illinois. Over the years, she became close with the entire Pinske family, including Karl Pinske, the father of Carter Pinske.
In addition to the Pinske family, another influential figure in Crone’s career is Richard 'Nifty' Norman, with whom she’s shared a strong working relationship for more than three decades.
Meg Crone (second from left) with Nifty Norman (third from right) pupil Smoke And Mirrors after winning the Ontario Sires Stakes Super
Final for three-year-old trotting fillies in 2018.
Norman, a well-respected trainer and a key figure in the harness racing community, played an instrumental role in bringing Amigo Volo into the Crone barn. The horse had raced for Norman’s stable through to his six-year-old season, but as Amigo Volo's career continued into his older years, it became clear that a change in racing strategy might be in order.
That’s where Meg came in. As the racing landscape became more challenging stateside, especially with the horse not being staked, the opportunities in Canada seemed to be a better fit for the son of Father Patrick.
“They [the connections] felt his best opportunity was to race up here and not have to ship around,” said Crone.
The decision to bring the horse north proved to be a wise one as the two-time Breeders Crown winner and multiple world champion during his two- and three-year-old seasons posted a campaign that could be considered the best on his aged resume.
The success of Amigo Volo is far from typical for a trotter of his age, particularly one who wasn’t heavily staked in his later years. Crone credits some of the horse's success to his personality and his consistent “talking” on and off the track.
“He's kind of a lazy horse, but if anything goes by quick, or if you're training in the bike and one goes by him, he'll take off squealing and bucking. He thinks he's young. He's always full of life and energy.”
What makes Amigo Volo such a standout is not just his talent but his willingness to try.
"There'll never be another horse like Amigo," Meg stated. “I don’t think I’ll ever have another horse like him.”
His ability to perform consistently at a high level despite his age is a testament to his toughness and the care he receives.
Amigo Volo's performance in 2024 was nothing short of spectacular. His consistent finishes — 11-5-3 and 25 purse cheques in 27 appearances — were a clear indication of his competitiveness and stamina. As Crone points out, the horse didn’t necessarily need a specific driver to get the job done.
"Anybody that's ever driven him told me he's the nicest trotter they've ever driven, you can do anything with him. He’s just a Cadillac," confessed Crone.
For Crone, 2024 was a year of major milestones. While some of the horses she had high hopes for didn’t quite meet expectations, others like Amigo Volo helped fill the gap. Amigo Volo's consistent success and Crone's ability to bring out the best in him were a key factor in her career-best season. The year also marked a significant achievement for Meg: her first million-dollar season as a trainer.
When reflecting on 2024, Meg singles out a particular race as a career highlight. In a performance that perfectly captured Amigo Volos abilities, he went head-to-head with the best and emerged victorious.
James MacDonald piloted Amigo Volo to this victory in 1:50.4, just two-fifths of a second off his lifetime best, which had previously set a world record at Dover.
“He had never even asked him. He said he was as strong at the finish as he was at the start,” reflects Crone.
When the news broke that Amigo Volo was a finalist for the 2024 O'Brien Award, Crone's excitement was palpable.
"We kind of thought he would be," Crone confessed. "We knew Logan [Park] would be for sure because he had a rare year. It was very exciting.”
As a first-time attendee of the O'Brien Awards, Crone is eagerly looking forward to the event. While she’s worked with horses that have been nominated in the past, this marks the first nomination for a Crone trainee, and she's eager to be part of the celebration with husband Anthony Haughan and family.
The 2024 O’Brien Award winners will be announced on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025, at the O’Brien Awards Gala, which will take place at the Delta Meadowvale / Mississauga in Mississauga, Ont. To reserve your tickets for the O'Brien Awards, please fill out the O'Brien Awards ticket reservation form and send it to Jade Regina at [email protected].
(Standardbred Canada; photos courtesy New Image Media, COSA TV)