On Saturday's card of racing at Red Shores Charlottetown, Marc Campbell notched five wins but another "Mark" made headlines for what could be harness racing's recovery of the year.
In Saturday's first race at CDP, Bradley had pacer Mr Macleod three-wide into the final turn when tragedy struck and the horse fell onto its side with all four feet off the track. Taking a firm hold of the lines as the horse slid, Bradley urged Mr Macleod back to all four feet and actually finished the race.
"He ended up losing two shoes. I felt him lose one about halfway around the last turn. In a perfect world if everybody's shoes stay on, nothing happens but when something like that happens you're helpless....you can't do much about it," Bradley told Trot Insider. "All I could do was just more or less keep a hold of him. If you pull too much on him, he might slide."
Bradley and Mr Macleod were very fortunate that no horses were following, as once he sensed the horse lost the bit he was off his hooves and sliding. Somehow the horse made it back to a standing position -- something Bradley has never seen before.
Mr Macleod was no worse for wear after the incident, and is back in to race on the New Year's Eve card at CDP.
"Surprisingly, no," said Bradley when asked if the horse had any injuries. "The bike was fine, the harness was fine...I talked to the trainer the next day and he said 'he's fine'."
Bradley almost had another scare later on in the card, as in his next race another horse lost a shoe around that same spot.
"She didn't go down but her hind leg just started going, and there was somebody right in my back then too," said Bradley, noting that this time he was able to pull the horse up and get her off the track without losing footing.
Perhaps thinking that things have a tendency of happening in threes, Bradley booked off his remaining drives.
"I said 'that's it for me'. I had two or three other drives, and I just booked off," said Bradley with a chuckle. "What's the chances of that happening, bang-bang, in two drives like that?"
That was wild...horse went
That was wild...horse went down...slid backwards and gets back of the feet to finish the race with Bradley still in the bike. Clip should be sent to MTV show Ridiculousness ...
I remember years ago watching
I remember years ago watching Daril Colville break a line in Belleville slide for 30 feet jump back on the bike and slowly climb up the horse,s back to slow him down.Thought I seen it all.Some of these COWBOYS drive problematic horses all the time.It,s like their used to it.Great job Mark.