After stepping away nearly a decade ago, driver Gord Brown will return to the racebike in 2026.
One of Ontario's most consistent and successful drivers during the early part of the 2000s, Brown retired from regular driving duties at the end of 2016, and then returned to Rideau Carleton Raceway for a special send-off card — also featuring his brother, Hall of Famer Doug Brown — in May 2017. Gord retired with 4,231 victories and more than $20 million in purses.
Not fully removed from the business, Brown has travelled with his wife, Joy, and spent the past few winters in Georgia where he qualified a few horses for trainers such as Jeff Nisonger and Wayne Oke in 2025. Trot Insider reached out to Brown at that time to ask if a comeback was in the works, but the popular horseman indicated the appearance was just a special one-time only event.
One year later, and more racelines under his belt, Brown has a new perspective on his future.
"I just got burnt out," Brown recently told Trot Insider about his decision to step away in 2016. "I mean, in the good days, we were racing six days a week and I was doing double duties too...Kawartha Downs in the afternoon and Rideau Carleton Raceway at night, two days a week. And I got burnt out quick. I drove a lot of horses but, believe me, the good outweighed the bad, that's for sure.
"When I did walk away, it never bothered me for one minute. Not one minute afterwards," Brown recently continued. "I had no intentions [of returning] and for some reason, I don't know why, but around probably January, February down here, trained a bunch. I just, I really got the itch. I felt good. I went and got my physical, my eyes checked. I passed everything with flying colours."
Those involved in harness racing fully understand the immersive and all-encompassing nature of this industry. It's time-consuming. It's 24/7. And, for some, there comes a time when it's time for something else.
"I've always maintained this: there's always, always more to life than horses. I'm one to travel and do different things in life. A lot of people don't understand, but you take nights off and horses all of a sudden go out and do good that night. Well, guess who's going to be driving them next week? I never missed a night. I got frowned upon, I missed weddings, anniversaries and different things, but no way was I missing a night. I stayed very, very dedicated to that for basically my whole career.
"My father (Stan) always instilled [that work ethic] in me. He said, 'If you're down to drive, show up. They could have put 50 other drivers down.' I always carried that through my career."
That career will resume later this month at Kawartha Downs. When the Peterborough area oval starts to ramp up for its 2026 racing season, expect to see Brown's name down on the qualifying sheet. And only at Kawartha. At the time of this interview, the news regarding the closure of Rideau Carleton Raceway by operator Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa was still fresh, but Brown noted that he wasn't planning to drive at the Ottawa area oval once resuming his catch-driving career.
"It's very unfortunate what went on there. Actually, the real unfortunate part is that some tracks just get in the wrong hands and that's what happens. It's very sad. I mean, the two places I never thought would ever close would be Pompano Park and Rideau. I feel sorry for Johnny MacMillan and Gord McDonald, but they've tried hard and hopefully it corrects itself."
Kawartha's first live card of 2026 is slated for Saturday, June 6 — one month from today. The 64-year-old Brown is eager to return.
"I'm looking forward to it. Kawartha runs a first-class outfit there. They've done a great job and the place is just absolutely packed every night."
(Standardbred Canada)