Cl‘ l e. MacDOnald Dete'ijmmed Talent

‘

ome claim that the apple neyer falls

far l‘rom the tree. It this popular

axiom eyer needed proof. it has it in Clare .\lacl)onald l‘rom .»\ntigonish. \()\';t Scotia.

(Ilare's lather. lid llaley \\'as recognized hy his peers and racing tans as one ol the most talented and respected trainers and driyers ot‘ standardhreds in the Atlantic proyinces, He also \\'as the l'ounder and master ol~ \Ves‘t Riyer Stock Farm in .»\ntigonish. .\7o\'a Scotia. This was one of the most successl‘ul larms in the hreed~ ing industry in the :\tl:tntic proyinces lor

tlte past 5 years.

lid llaley certainly set high standards hut his daughter (ilare .\lacl)ona|d. with strong support lrom her ltushand. Ken had a lot ol success in maintaining these standards. l’or example. rarely in tlte past 13 years has it happened in the Maritime proyinces tor a tyyos or three—yearsold stake race lor trotters or pacers to he run without an entry l'rom the \\'est Riyer Stock Farm.

(Llare. Ken and their daughter llaley

made so many trips across the Northuml)erland Strait to (Iharlottetown

and Summerside racetracks that Islanders

Photos: Ann .\lac.\eill were thinking ahout adopting them. 'I‘rayel is a necessity when you are raising and racing successlul colts and fillies and this family didn't seem to mind it.

Harness racing seemed to he in Clare .\Iacl)onald's genes. She stated that she had heen around horses. “Right lrom the time I got out of pampers. .\s soon as I could \\'all\'. I \\‘;ls going to the ham with

Dad. I just gre\\' up in the ham."

'l‘he lirst horses that (Ilare had memory ol \\ ere the three stallions that stood at the \\'est Riyer Stock l’arm hecause they \\ ere the constant. Prim/o. /)('//IIIU1‘ and

limit‘rtg/l l/(Htut'er \yet‘e al\\ays there.

\\'hen (Zlare reached age eight or nine. she rememhered. ".r\ girlfriend and I would ride the horses on horsehack. It \\'as prohahly just to get Lts out ol the way and trout under eyeryhody's l‘eet tor a while. Dad would put us in cleaning the horses hecause it would he a good

way to hahysit us for a while."

This talented trainer driyer learned an important lesson ahout horses early in lil‘e. She recounted. "I had a pony that my friend and I would ride. \Vhen we got a little hrayer we would sit on the

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