After having been injured in an on-track incident last July, O’Brien Award winning driver Mark MacDonald is back in the race bike.
MacDonald was front and centre during the Wednesday morning (March 11) qualifying session at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
MacDonald was injured in July when he was unseated from the sulky prior to a race at Saratoga Casino Hotel. He suffered a fractured left shoulder joint and went through rehab after surgery and three months in a sling. For additional information, click here and here.
MacDonald handled the fastest winner of Pocono’s Wednesday qualifying session, which was the Mach Three gelding Highrthananeagle A. The six-year-old had not raced since November and was making his U.S. debut. With MacDonald at the helm, the Rob Harmon trainee made two moves, including a first-over advance, before winning in 1:55.1 for the ownership of Harmon Racing Stable LLC, Lightning 5 Racing Stable, and Joel Kahan.
MacDonald, who officially started back in the bike on March 4, recorded three victories Wednesday morning. Tyler Buter had the hot hands during the qualifying session, though, as he steered five of his charges to victory.
One of Buter's wins came with Cantab Hall gelding Macmorris Hanover, who was recording his first charted line of 2020. Buter put him on the lead and won by more than five lengths in 1:56.1. Bob Baggitt Jr. trains the promising horse for the ownership of Ben Mudry, Douglas Millard, Timothy Murray, and Howard Taylor.
(With files from The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono)