The unanimous choice by voters as the 2021 Keith Waples Driver of the Year, a confident James MacDonald was overcome with joy as he celebrated his first O'Brien Award-winning season with friends and family last weekend.
"Quietly, it's always been a goal but I hadn't really been close enough for me to even think about saying it out loud," said MacDonald, 36, of winning the national harness racing award. "All year I was thinking about it. And people would say it to me and I would think about it and when I'd have a good night, I would say, 'If I can keep this going, maybe I can get nominated.' Then I kept winning and the big races were coming in and it just started to get more real as the year went on. It's really amazing. I'm really proud of it."
In 2021, MacDonald drove O'Brien Award winners Prohibition Legal and Betterhavemymoney, secured the Lampman Cup as the leading driver in the Ontario Sires Stakes and earned multiple Grand Circuit stakes victories topped by the $546,000 Maple Leaf Trot in rein to Lindy The Great. The Guelph, Ont. reinsman says he is most proud of showing he can consistently perform at a high level all season long.
While MacDonald has no expectations to repeat his success from 2021, he is hoping to ride his winning momentum through 2022 and says the odds are high he will be at the next O'Brien Awards gala.
"I'm hoping to have a good year. Whether I'm nominated or not, I'll probably make an appearance. It's a great night, a great event and it's really fun celebrating all the great animals and great people in this industry."
Trot Insider caught up with MacDonald, who shares highlights from his chart-topping 322 victories including his most unexpected win and most tactical win. He also discusses the competitive driving colony he faces every night and the up-and-coming talent on the Mohawk scene.