Driver Brett MacDonald's sophomore season just keeps getting better. After the 19-year-old was named Rideau Carleton Raceway's 2015 Rookie of the Year and he earned one of eight coveted spots in the 2016 National Driving Championship, MacDonald will make his Gold Cup & Saucer driving debut on Monday (August 15) steering Mr Massimo from post three in the second trial for Charlottetown Driving Park’s marquee race.
“It’s incredible the amount of trust trainers have given me to help me succeed,” MacDonald said. “I couldn’t have done it without any of them.”
MacDonald acquired the drive on Mr Massimo on July 24, and has since raced with the 10-year-old gelding by Astreos twice. Both times, MacDonald guided Mr Massimo to victory against the top stock at Rideau Carleton for trainer Gary McDonald, who co-owns with Ian Smith of Charlottetown, PEI.
“I had nothing to drive in that class,” MacDonald said. “Gary put me down on him, and he’s put me down on a couple, so he must’ve thought I could help him out a bit. My cousin John [MacDonald] drove for him a lot, and growing up at Rideau the last couple of years, I got to know Gary.
“He talked about going [to the Gold Cup & Saucer] for a little bit,” MacDonald continued. “He asked me a couple of questions about it. Then he said that he was going and that I would get to go drive him. I was very happy...since I’ve only been driving for two years, I never thought I’d get this kind of opportunity this early.”
A half-brother to millionaire Moving Pictures, Mr Massimo’s most recent wins came from two different trips. On July 31, he lead for nearly the entire mile, while on August 7, he traveled first over to win.
“He’s tough,” MacDonald said. “He has gate speed. You can put him on the front, he can go first over. He’s in no way one-dimensional. That’s a big virtue for him because not every week you can draw the rail or get an inside position.”
Listed on the morning line at 8-1, Mr Massimo will compete against Limelight Beach and Alexas Jackpot, who both have Grand Circuit experience and will start from posts one and two respectively.
“He has got to get a good trip,” MacDonald said. “We’ve got to make sure he’s close, because they can go big fractions, and if you’re too far back against these horses, you can’t catch them; you’ve got to be able to pace home in 25 seconds in order to catch them. Hopefully he can beat a couple down the lane.”
The Gold Cup & Saucer is a tradition burrowed into Canadian horse racing culture. It's one of the races many horsemen wish to win, and is the final event during Prince Edward Island’s Old Home Week.
“I’ve wanted to drive in the Gold Cup & Saucer my whole life,” MacDonald said. “I was there every summer growing up; I’ve only missed one Old Home Week ever. We’ve had lots of horses in it, and I owned one. All I wanted to do was win that race.
“We’re going down to hang out mainly,” MacDonald also said. “We have a two-year-old training down, so I’ll be at the barn to train him a bit and I did pick up some drives in some overnights, but otherwise I’m going down with my girlfriend on vacation and have a fun week.”
SOBEY'S GOLD CUP & SAUCER TRIAL # 2
Race 11, Purse $12,500 -- Post time: 10:06 P.M. (local time)
1. Limelight Beach (Marc Campbell - Ron Burke) 4-1
2. Alexas Jackpot (Jody Jamieson - Marty Fine) 5-2
3. Mr Massimo (Brett MacDonald - Gary McDonald) 8-1
4. Big Boy Dreams(SCRATCHED)
5. Go Daddy Go (Brad Forward - Rene Allard) 3-1
6. Paparazzi Hanover (Travis Cullen - Travis Cullen) 6-1
7. Dialamara (Jason Hughes - Tom Weatherbie) 7-2
To view the entries for Monday's card, click the following link: Monday Entries - Charlottetown Driving Park.
(A Trot Insider Exclusive by Ray Cotolo)