MacKenzie On The Mend

Following a visit to his doctor and the announcement of this year’s O’Brien Award nominees on Wednesday, injured harness driver Paul MacKenzie is beginning to feel much better.

MacKenzie suffered a cracked pelvis in two places and a crack in his lower back from a racing accident on October 27 at Grand River Raceway.

“I was just at the doctor’s today and she said they are lined up and just starting to heal,” MacKenzie told Trot Insider on Wednesday evening. “I’m getting around a little better. I was on crutches and a walker for a while there and just the last few days I got off them and I can walk a little bit on my own. I’m trying to do a few exercises and get around and talk to people and get to the races a little bit. You have to give it time to heal. It’s a slow process.”

MacKenzie said it will be another four to six weeks before he can think about jogging a horse, but that gives him plenty of time to pick out a tux for the 2013 O’Brien Awards. Standardbred Canada announced on Wednesday that the 52-year-old resident of Puslinch, Ontario is one of this year’s nominees for the O’Brien Award of Horsemanship. MacKenzie is up against three-time Alberta-based nominee Kelly Hoerdt. The Black Tie Gala will be held Saturday, February 8, 2014 at the Delta Prince Edward in Charlottetown, P.E.I. for its 25th anniversary in honour of Islander Joe O’Brien.

“Oh, I’m going to definitely be there for that,” laughed the Charlottetown native, who has been one of the top B circuit drivers in Ontario for decades and is the all-time win leader at Flamboro Downs. He's driven 7,808 winners in his career and has won 880 races as a trainer.

The O’Brien Awards recognize the people and horses that made the biggest contribution to Canadian harness racing in a given year. The Horsemanship Award honours those involved in more than one area of the industry who best exemplify the standard of horsemanship demonstrated by O’Brien.

“I’ve always dreamed having one,” said MacKenzie. “I’ve been driving for years and years and I had a couple of good years there training and driving....When you race on the B tracks you don’t get the recognition like you do on the bigger track so I'm pretty pumped about this. It’s always been one of my goals because my grandfather, years ago when I was just a little fella, he took me to the track and he was a Joe O’Brien fan so it would be really nice to win. And it’s my hometown, that’s nice too.”