When Anthony MacDonald got to the border Sunday morning and was asked how long his stay in the U.S. was, he paused. The answer was six days, but it felt like many more. In a span of five days he raced at six different tracks in two countries.
His pace was only outdone by the performance of ‘The Stable.ca’s class of 2017, which has won races in four states and has amassed just over $170,000 in U.S. earnings thus far.
When asked in an interview how he plans to keep the pace up, MacDonald answered quickly. "Truthfully, we have a lot of great clients, and I mean a lot," MacDonald said with a smile. It’s a great feeling having 278 people rooting for you, and it really puts a charge in your engine. But without my wife, Amy, none of this (is) possible, running our Ontario operation and taking care of two kids while I'm gone? Now that's a real workhorse.
"There [are] no shares of her for sale, for sure," he laughs.
When asked about thestable.ca in the U.S., MacDonald was clear. "There is no way to explain it, other than luck. Sure, we work incredibly hard, but lots of other trainers do as well, though. We bought these horses because we believed they were being undersold and they fit our program of affordable ownership. People are seeing now there is quite a difference between ‘undersold’ and ‘cheap,’ and value can be found in many yearlings for many different reasons. With a good eye and some good old fashion racing luck you will always have a shot to win."
One of those winners is Lawmaker, a two-year-old that has earned just under $50,000 thus far in his career. He was a $20,000 Lexington purchase last year who is undefeated in sire stakes action in Pennsylvania. The colt is a perfect two for two in PASS action. He took his lifetime mark of 1:56 at the Meadows on July 15.
"We have had some offers, and we are looking at a couple right now, but these are very fluid situations and very dynamic groups. You almost have to be a politician sometimes," smirked MacDonald.
"We certainly didn't think we would ship into one of the toughest jurisdictions on earth and stay mowing down $350,000 yearlings, but that's part of the allure of horse racing. You really just never know,” said MacDonald. “Having Andrew Harris with us is also a real feather in our cap. He plays a huge role and has done an incredible job for us. We are certainly lucky to have him affiliated with thestable.ca."
MacDonald went on to say, "We row a pretty big boat right now, with 278 clients along for the ride of their lives. By the looks of the horizon we are going to need a bigger boat."
(The Stable)