Behind the Gate 1“?! 
     
    
   
   
    
     \\'hat did Mark MacDonald. Robert 
     
     Shepherd. Alohn :\rlacl)onald. ‘lohn 
     
     (Ihappell. Mark Bradley. Anthony 
     
    
   
   
    
     MacDonald and Mike .\Iac\eill all haye in 
     
     common? They were among the suo 
     
     cessful young horsepeople who rec eiyed 
     
     much of their career foundation from tal— 
     
     ented and experienced people on Prince 
     
     2008. all of these 
     
     youngsters were plying their trade on 
     
     major tracks in Ontario and Alberta. 1 
     
    
   
   
    
     lidward Island. In 
     
    
   
   
    
     asked this erudite horseperson what 
     
     adyice he would giye to a young person 
     
     who might be contemplating a career 
     
     with the horses. His sage adyice was. 
     
     "Look around the track to see who seems 
     
    
   
   
    
     to haye success and who does a good 
     
    
   
   
    
     job. You learn your best from the best. If 
     
    
   
   
    
     you want to learn this game. try to asso— 
     
     ciate yourself with the best. That way. 
     
     ;\I the 
     
    
   
   
    
     same time. if you can. try to get as much 
     
    
   
   
    
     what you learn is from the best. 
     
    
   
   
    
     formal education as you can to go along 
     
     with your equine education. ’l‘ry to par— 
     
    
   
   
    
     lay the two of them." 
     
    
   
   
    
     In 2008. the breeding aspect of the har— 
     
     ness racing industry was the main focus 
     
     of .\/leridian Farms. Their stock and num— 
     
    
   
   
    
     bers showed a heayy concentration of 
     
    
   
   
    
     stallions and mares with their colts and 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     Brian Andrew 
     
    
   
   
    
     fillies: howeyer. quality horses from 
     
     Meridian liarms [fast and \\'est raced year 
     
     round in Alberta. Ontario and the 
     
    
   
   
    
     Maritime proyinces. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Bill Andrew's _/'/ls‘l Sassy was Two— and 
     
    
   
   
    
     'l"hree—Year—()ld l’illy of the Year in 
     
     Alberta and later raced in the ()pen 
     
     .Mares Class in Ontario with 8209000 in 
     
     career purse earnings. She was certainly 
     
     a success story but imagine the joy and 
     
     satisfaction in the Andrew family should 
     
     one of their progeny enter the Trials and 
     
     win the prestigious Gold Cup and Saucer 
     
     at the Park 
     
    
   
   
    
     Charlottetown Driying 
     
    
   
   
    
     Entertainment (Ientrel 
     
    
   
   
    
     Brian informed me that Meridian Farms 
     
     \\"est based in Calgary. Alberta existed 
     
     before Meridian Farms [East in Milton. 
     
     l’.l€.l. 
     
     dency to hire Maritimers when possible. 
     
     ()ut \Vest in 2005" Sanford (Lampbell was 
     
     the head trainer and his son. Brandon did 
     
    
   
   
    
     He indicated that Bill had a ten— 
     
    
   
   
    
     most of the driying 'I‘erry Mclsaac was 
     
     his farm manager and Blair Taylor was 
     
     responsible for promotions. In the east. 
     
     Brian was the manager and did most of 
     
     the driving. Very capable assistance 
     
     came from Alohn Duffy. Mike Doyle. Ron 
     
    
   
   
    
     .\'eill. Milford Bernard. Ron Gass. Donnie 
     
    
   
   
    
     “A person that l resf)ected otter tbe‘tteais and that I got to [allow quite well 
     
     was joe Hetmessei'. ‘loe [was a bard Ivor/«er and an acwmplisbed 
     
    
   
   
    
     l) o rsema H . 
     
    
   
   
    
     He drotte a horse li/ee I would ll'lee to be able to drive a home. 
     
    
   
   
    
     He gave proper care to a horse. In his own low-leewd manner, 
     
     joe Iletlizessei» got [be/ob done. joe Heiztzes‘sey was a gentlen'zan. " 
     
    
   
   
    
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