Hittin’ The Old Dusty Trail

In a move that will surely be career changing, a trio from PEI will try their luck on a bigger stage and make the move to Ontario.

Ambyr MacPhee and Mitchell Tierney are setting up training operations at the Campbellville Training Centre, in Campbellville, Ont., while Brodie MacPhee, Ambyr’s younger brother, is making the trip to establish himself in the Ontario driver’s colony.

Ambyr MacPhee and Mitchell Tierney arrived in Ontario last week.

Tierney, 20, (Lifetime: 211 – 37 – 30- 34, $47,547, UTRS .308) trains a small stable out of his home farm in New Haven, and campaigns top trotting mare Dusty Lane Shelby, who tied the aged mares track trot record at Charlottetown in a 2:01.1 victory.

He plans on taking two of his family’s horses with him to Ontario, Dusty Lane Shelby and Lyndale Lover.

Lyndale Lover, 5, (Drop Off – Lyndale O Kay) has lifetime stats of $23,511 earned, 10 wins, and a mark of 2:00.1. So far in 2008 the mare has earned $2,915 and has two wins (the fastest in 2:01).

Lyndale Lover raced last night at Flamboro Downs, finishing eighth in a $4,500 claimer with Robert Shepherd in the bike.

Dusty Lane Shelby, 6, (Imperial Angus – Dusty Lane Nipper) has lifetime stats of $27,966, 19 wins, and a mark of 2:01.1 (taken this year). So far in 2008, the mare has seven wins and $6,749 earned.

Tierney has a tentative roadmap worked out for the trotting mare. “Her first start will be at Flamboro, just a tightener, and then we’re going to go to Georgian (Downs) to see what she’s like on a bigger track, with bigger turns,” he said.

Tierney also hasn’t ruled out a trip to Woodbine Racetrack with the mare, and says that if she goes, fellow islander Brodie MacPhee will likely get the call to drive.

He says that a claimer is not an option for the mare. “Never. She will not be in as a claimer at all.”

Tierney says he has learned some lessons in his short time training horses.

“Trotters made me patient,” said Tierney, “and time, devotion, and hard work pay off in the long run.”

Ambyr MacPhee, 26, is an active driver/trainer on PEI, but plans on staying behind the fence once she makes the move to Ontario.

MacPhee has respectable lifetime training stats: 355 – 53 – 45 – 49, $59,055, UTRS .265.

Currently, she has two horses with her in Ontario, Keziah M and Blu Meadow Vance.

Keziah M, 3, (10 - 3 - 1 - 0, $3,520, 2:04.2) is owned by Peter and Joanne Gray of NB.

MacPhee is optimistic of Keziah M’s chances. “I’m hoping he’ll do, and if he does well I’m hoping it’ll spark some interest in some more maritime owners sending horses up.”

He raced November 23 and finished third in a maiden trot at Flamboro Downs, covering his mile in 2:03.1 for driver Robert Shepherd.

Brodie MacPhee has enjoying a career year in the bike (438 starts - 65 wins - 62 seconds - 66 thirds - $98,982 in purses - UDRS .277). He has only been to Southern Ontario once. He spent a few days at Mohawk Racetrack when he was groom for world champion Chucaro Ahijuna, trained by Paul Bernardo. He plans to work for an Ontario trainer.

He says he’s basically starting from scratch when he gets there, he left for Ontario earlier this week. “I’m going to have to earn my respect. I’m not gonna expect to walk into Flamboro and have guys open up holes for me.”

His older sister, Ambyr MacPhee, is also making the move and plans to have Brodie drive her horses. “Anytime that Brodie has the time, he’ll get the call (to drive),” she said.

Brodie says it’s going to be different driving in Ontario.

“It’s gonna be different going from driving six or seven (horses) a night (on PEI) to driving maybe once every two weeks (in Ontario),” Brodie said.

Brodie MacPhee is listed to drive Blu Meadow Vance from post seven in the third race $8,000 claimer at Flamboro Downs Wednesday, November 26. He is listed at 20-1 in the morning line.

(By Nicholas Oakes, a journalism student at Holland College, and a columnist with Atlantic Post Calls)