One person assured of having a connection to an O'Brien Award winner this Saturday, Feb. 8 is Doug McNair -- who holds the unique distinction of being the primary driver of both finalists for Canada's Two-Year-Old Pacing Colt of the Year.
“It’s always a cool thing to get the drive on a top [Ontario Sires Stakes] Gold-level horse,” McNair told Trot Insider. “It’s extra special to be able to drive two of the top colts in the division.”
McNair steered the Jared Bako-trained Stonebridge Wizard in eight of his nine starts in his rookie campaign. Owned by David Kryway, the gelded son of Dancin Lou-Odds On Magic won five of nine starts on the season, banking $284,100.
“I really liked Stonebridge Wizard all year long, he’s tough as a whale bone,” continued McNair. “He was fresh right from the start, professional all year long and rugged. He took some tough trips this year and kept coming back.”
The ruggedness was put on full display as Stonebridge Wizard paced to a front-end victory in the $245,400 Battle Of Waterloo on Aug. 5 at Grand River Raceway. Caught in an early duel with Fifth And Five, Stonebridge Wizard laid down fractions of :26, :53.1 and 1:22.1 before fending off Sterling Choice by a head to score in a track record and career-best effort of 1:51.2.
“I always love being able to win the Battle of Waterloo and he went a huge mile that day,” recalled McNair. “And as the season went on, just when you thought maybe that race took a little bit out of him, he came right back and won the last Gold leg before the final. It’s a real testament to the job Jared did with this horse...not everyone can train a two-year-old and he had an incredible year.”
However, when Stonebridge Wizard drew post 10 in the $300,000 Ontario Sires Stakes (OSS) Gold Super Final at Woodbine Mohawk Park, McNair had a decision to make as he was listed on Crack Shot for his father, Gregg McNair. Having driven Crack Shot in all but one of his starts to that point as well, McNair took the post edge with Crack Shot, proving to be the right decision as he paced to victory in the Super Final in a career best 1:51.3.
“It was tough for Stonebridge Wizard to draw the 10-hole, he had such a great year competing against the best all season long,” said McNair. “It just came down to post and Crack Shot outdrew him and was a fresh horse at the end of the year.”
In total, Crack Shot won five of eight races in his rookie campaign, doubling his pleasure when the big money was on the line as the first horse to win both the OSS Grassroots Final and Gold Super Final. After winning the first two starts of his career, the son of Bettors Delight-Beautyonthebeach won three out of four to end his rookie campaign, banking $238,825 for owners Gregg McNair, longtime horse owner Dale Hunter — the former NHLer and current head coach of the top ranked junior hockey team in Canada, the OHL's London Knights — Frank Brundle and George Kerr.
“It was pretty cool how it worked out with Grassroots horses being able to race Gold this year; we were fortunate to be in that spot,” McNair stated regarding the addition to the OSS rules that was recently announced as returning for 2025. “It was great to be part of both these horse’s seasons and I’m on the fence for both sides... it’s the first O’Brien nomination for [some of] each of the connections, who have contributed a lot to the sport and will be a big win for whoever it goes to on Saturday.”
It wasn’t just the young horses which McNair had success with in 2024, as reigning Older Trotting Male of the Year, Logan Park, was back for more in what would prove to be a career year at age six.
“I was fortunate to get that drive a couple of years ago, and it’s been a lot of fun,” said McNair. “He’s like driving a sports car, you can race him on the front, from the middle or the back, and he’s going to give you a good performance every time out.”
Trained by Kyle and Rob Fellows, Logan Park won 12 of 19 starts in 2024, including stakes victories in the Earl Rowe, Dayton Trotting Derby and a career-best effort of 1:49.2 in the Allerage at The Red Mile. While Dexter Dunn was in the bike for the victories at Dayton and The Red Mile, McNair was back in the sulky as Logan Park trotted to a gate-to-wire victory in the $457,746 FanDuel Final at The Meadowlands to conclude his campaign.
“That was a special win for him, and for me as well,” recalled McNair. “It was a cherry on top at the end of the year. We had post 10 in the Breeders Crown and didn’t really have a chance, but he came right back with a big effort there.”
The win in the FanDuel lifted the gelded son of Archangel-Rite Outa The Park into the double millionaire stratosphere. Owned by Outofthepark Stable, Reg Higgs and Arpad Szabo, Logan Park is a winner now in 36 of 83 career outings, hitting the board 53 times.
“The Fellows crew deserves all the credit on him,” noted McNair. “They’ve had him since he was a baby, they made him and I have no idea how they keep him in tip top shape every time he races. There’s never been a week where I’ve come off the track with him and had a negative thing to say; he races good every time he goes out there.”
On the pacing side, McNair was also the regular pilot on Brad Grant and Alagna Racing’s Taurasi, who won 11 of 26 seasonal appearances in 2024 en route to being nominated in the Older Pacing Horse division.
Taurasi took Canada by storm, winning 11 straight on Canadian soil at the Preferred level between Dec. 16, 2023 and May 25, 2024, with his lone defeat in that stretch coming stateside at Miami Valley Raceway in the Wizard Invitational. McNair was in the bike for each of those victories during the streak.
“The first couple of starts I drove him I knew he was a serious horse,” said McNair. “He’s a horse you have to watch the first couple of steps out of the gate, but once you get him going, he’s got tons of speed and he can carry it.”
The gelded son of Racing Hill-Voluminous banked $304,963 over the course of his five-year-old campaign, pushing his career earnings to $706,284. While racking up wins in the Preferred ranks at Mohawk, Taurasi took opportunities against Grand Circuit company stateside, before returning to Canada in Gregg McNair’s barn to conclude his season.
“He had really bad luck with the draw this year in those stakes races,” said McNair. “He drew post eight and 10 at The Meadowlands, and drew post 11 in the Canadian Pacing Derby, and with a horse like him, it’s just a tough spot to be. He went some big miles this year and got a little tired towards the end of the year, but he deserved to be tired — it was a long year and he raced hard every week.”
Much like McNair at the end of 2024, Taurasi is enjoying some hard earned time-off in what McNair hopes will refresh the speedster in advance of his six-year-old campaign.
As for McNair, he’s returned to the sulky and is already off to a hot start in 2025, ranking in the nation's top 10 in wins, earnings and UDRS as of press time. The Guelph, Ont. resident is knocking on the door of $90 million in career earnings and rapidly approaching 5,000 career driving victories. When those milestones will be secured by McNair is uncertain, but it is certain that McNair will kick off the year a major part of at least one 2024 O’Brien Award winner.
The 2024 O’Brien Award winners will be announced this Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025, at the O’Brien Awards Gala, taking place at the Delta Meadowvale / Mississauga in Mississauga, Ont.
(Standardbred Canada; photos courtesy Lisa Photo, New Image Media, Tiffany Chantel Photography)