Amy MacDonald earned her first lifetime pari-mutuel driving win in dramatic fashion as she steered Manhattanup No Ice to a photo-finish victory in a Great Lakes Amateur Driving Series Trot at Northfield Park on Wednesday, Oct. 14.
MacDonald picked up the lines behind Manhattanup No Ice for her fifth career drive and had the Edward Miller trainee away third from the rail in a :28.1 first panel. After hugging the cones through :58.2 and 1:27.4 middle fractions, the reinswoman used a gap to the outside to bring Manhattanup No Ice off the rail at the top of the last turn and fed the nine-year-old son of Andover Hall-Pacific Photo open road in the lane. Nacho Rodeo (Harvey Hershberger) became the horse to track down as he hit the front entering the stretch, and Manhattanup No Ice responded to MacDonald’s urging to get up by a nose for the 1:58 score. Peter Lets Go (Michael Miller) finished third. Manhattanup No Ice won for the fourth time this year in 28 starts for owners Ashley and Edward Miller.
MacDonald, best known as the co-proprietor of The Stable along with her husband, Anthony MacDonald, is one-for-five in the sulky after making her debut in March at Woodbine Mohawk Park. The Brunswick, Ohio resident has increased her driving volume in the last week, making two starts at The Meadows on Oct. 9 and one at Northfield on Oct. 10. MacDonald, who is also 99-for-657 as a trainer, has picked up cheques in three of five drives.
(Standardbred Canada)