Jody Jamieson has had himself a very outstanding driving career. He has made more than 49,000 starts and has won well over 8,000 times with more than $137,000,000 in purse winnings. He had raced in and won most of the biggest races in Canada and the United States. Jamieson has also done something no other Canadian has ever done: won the World Driving Championship twice.
The World Driving Championship first took place in 1970 and Herve Fillion won while representing Canada. Since that time only three other Canadians — Jamieson, Sylvain Filion and James MacDonald — have won it. The only individual with more WDC victories than Jamieson is Norway’s Ulf Thoresen, who has four titles. Jamieson is currently tied for the second-most wins with German driving ace Heinz Wewering, giving Jamieson a special place in harness racing history.
Almost every child across the country at some point dreams of wearing the Maple Leaf while representing Canada on a global stage, either for a World Cup or the Olympics currently taking place. This dream was also true for Jody Jamieson, who realized that dream when he first represented Canada at the World Driving Championship in 2001. Not only did he represent his home country, but he won on foreign soil while the event was held in Finland and Sweden. This year marks the 20th anniversary of his first WDC title and it was on this day 10 years ago (August 5, 2011) that he captured his second title.
The time has blown by for Jamieson and the journey was something special for him. “I can’t believe it’s been 20 years since I first won the World Driving Championship. It was something I dreamed of, and I didn’t think it would ever come to fruition.”
The opportunity had presented itself to Jamieson almost as a shock because he was not at the top of the list when it came to selecting Canada’s WDC representative. “It was a huge honour. I wasn’t even the leading driver that year. I think I was top five, but it had to fall to number five for me to get there. It was a ten-day commitment and the other guys wanted to keep racing at home.” Jamieson was having a respectable year while spending most of his time driving at Flamboro Downs and Western Fair Raceway.
Once Jamieson arrived at the World Driving Championship, the contest got the best of him for the first few days but he was eventually able to bounce back. “When I went over there, I had some awful highs and lows. I didn’t win a race for the first three days but then I came back to win it all. It was a rollercoaster experience.” The event tested Jamieson’s driving skills to the fullest as he needed time to adjust to the European driving styles. “It was a struggle, and I was confounded that I was stuck on the rail when the field was three-wide. The rail was often the worst place to be. It took me some races to figure it out.”
Although he was on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, Jamieson still received support from his fans and followers that helped him get over the hurdles he was facing. “I wanted to show everyone I could drive, and I didn’t want to let anyone down. I felt like I was letting everyone down with my performance, but I got a call from [then Standardbred Canada CEO] Ted Smith, and he gave me a pep talk. He helped put my mind at ease and the rest is history.”
In 2003, Jamieson represented Canada again but this time on home turf and finished with a respectable second place. This opportunity gave him some experience driving at Canada’s top track and helped get his foot in the door on the WEG circuit. “I really felt I had an advantage when I had home-field advantage. In my opinion, I wasn’t as lucky in the horses I drew that year, but I was very happy with my second-place finish. I got to race at Woodbine which I rarely had done up to that point, so it was for sure a stepping stone for me.”
Jump 10 years from his initial win to 2011, and Jamieson would once again be crowned World Driving Champion. This time he did so in more familiar waters as the event was hosted in the United States. “I had a ton of confidence going down there, and I had a slow start but took off the last couple of days.” The 2011 WDC title came as part of a career year for Jamieson, the one he considers his best. “2011 was probably my best year driving. I entered several different driving championships, and I won every one of them. It was just an amazing year and every driving challenge I entered, I won. It was just my year.”
Jamieson won 468 races that season while accumulating more than $11,600,000 in purse winnings. He had also won several other driving championships that year including the Meadowlands/Tioga Drivers' Championship.
Throughout his driving career, Jamieson has had some amazing experiences and triumphs, moments he often reflected upon during the pandemic lockdowns that sidelined horse racing in most of the country.
“I stayed positive as much as possible. There was no sense worrying about where I’ve been or where I could go. Obviously, it drains on you, but the beauty of my career is I have raced all over the world and I will always have those memories when I was cooped up at home.”
Jamieson has represented Canada in five World Driving Championships, and this privilege has taken him to Sweden, Finland, Italy, and Australia in addition to racetracks across the continent. Not only does Jamieson cherish his opportunities to represent Canada, he also values the relationships that were made and still exist to this day.
“It was an amazing experience, and I made some great friends. I’m still pretty close with Tony Herlihy and we have a lot of memories together. He’s one the greatest drivers to come out of New Zealand and it was pretty cool to compete against him.”
(A Trot Insider Exclusive by Trey Colbeck)