At just 19 years of age, Doug McNair is one of Canada’s up and coming harness horse drivers. On Saturday night at Western Fair Raceway, he’ll compete in one of the richest races of his young career behind a horse he’s never driven before
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McNair will steer Up Front Bethann in the $189,000 inaugural Forest City Pace at the London, Ont. track where he currently sits second in the drivers’ standings behind last year’s champion, Brad Forward. That’s a remarkable achievement given that McNair just started his driving career last year.
In his debut season, the talented driver posted very impressive statistics with 110 wins and $1,149,173 in purse earnings from 797 starts. He’s already doubled those numbers this year with 290 victories to date to go along with $2.4 million earned.
McNair’s quick success has been aided considerably by the fact that his father, Gregg McNair, is one of the province’s leading trainers and provides his son with some quality horses to steer. However, more and more trainers are becoming aware of Doug’s prowess in the sulky and are putting him down to drive their stock.
Case in point is his drive Saturday evening on Up Front Bethann, trained by leading conditioner Mark Ford, who employed Doug on two of his horses this past August in New York Sire Stakes races at Vernon Downs when Doug was on hand to drive one of his dad’s colts, OK Commander.
Fortunately for all concerned, Up Front Bethann has proven to be very adaptable to a new set of hands on her lines, as the four-year-old mare has had 22 different drivers in her career to date, including one of the best in the business, Dave Palone, whose wife, Bethann, is the mare’s namesake.
Owned by Ed Mullinax of Ohio, Up Front Bethann comes into Saturday night’s contest with $561,287 in lifetime earnings. She’s drawn Post 7 in the final which will face the gate as follows:
$189,000 Forest City Pace
Post – Horse – Listed Driver
1 – A And Gs Confusion – Kevin Wallis – 3-1
2 – Southwind Madonna – Lyle MacArthur – 12-1
3 – Ladycino – Robert Shepherd – 7-2
4 – To Helen Back – Mike Saftic – 2-1
5 – Four Starzz Meliss – Jason Brewer – 5-1
6 – Keystone Mystique – Trevor Henry – 15-1
7 – Up Front Bethann – Doug McNair – 4-1
8 – Arts Diva – Brad Forward – 5-2
The $189,000 event will head to post as Race 10 on the Saturday card, which will get underway at 7:05 p.m. The card will also include five divisions of the Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots for three-year-old pacing colts and a free t-shirt giveaway to the first 500 fans with a program coupon.
Click here to view the harness racing entries for Western Fair's Saturday card.
(Western Fair Raceway)