Behind the Gate ‘32;

strong to beat her. Dal/(ls lv’oc/es could come out of a hole faster than any horse I have ever sat behind. You cottlcl move Rose/own [fag/e any place in a race and he would continue to try right to the very

end of a race."

()ther horses that he remembered were (.7): Richie. lee/)e/V/(n'. Pans () Silver and lic/orfous [317/ who were all special in their own particular way. llis very favorite horse of all would have to be Rose/(urn [fag/e. Brian explained. “He had a bigger heart than any horse 1 have ever had. He could make a poor drive seem like a brilliant drive."

A few years ago. Elwood Lawton called him a month before that years (‘iold Cup and Saucer 'l‘rials and asked if he would drive .S‘ozilbz'ieu‘ Hall in the 'I‘rials. It did not take long fora positive response. He finished third and drew the dreaded out— side seven hole in the final of the presti— gious Gold (iup and Saucer race. It was muddy that night and Brian and .S‘o/tlbz'l'eu' .1/(1/1 were parked out every step of the mile. In a photo for place. they finished third to the deserving win— ner Comedy llom: Brian had participat— ed in the biggest race in eastern (Ianada and he would always remember .S‘ozi/lii'I'eu' Mail for giving him that most

memorable race.

()ne of the biggest changes in harness racing today is the fact that racetracks are conditioned five times better according to this driver trainer blacksmith. lixpertise.

. \lit

Brian MacPhee

time and energy have improved the ovals at Summerside. Charlottetown and else— where. .-\ccording to Brian. another big and important change in the industry is in the driving itself. It used to be rare for a driver to make a move before the hors— es reached the three—quarter pole and then there was a mad dash to the finish. ;\ few years ago. if you didnt move out by the half. you would likely be hope— lessly caught in for the rest of the race. Now in the new millennium. if you don't move by the quarter pole. you probably won‘t get out. Driving is much more aggressive today. with a lot more strategy

being used by successful drivers.

\V'hat Brian liked most about harness rac- ing was the people that you meet every day in this industry. People from all walks of life somehow become equals at the track. Rich and poor. young and old. male and female are all treated the same when mucking a stall. jogging a colt. printing a program or selling a ticket at the racetrack. lirian believed strongly in a positive approach to life and wanted to see the day when people in the industry concentrated more on the positives than the negatives. \V’ho knows what steps could be taken if this were to happen?

Standardbred horses are high perfor— mance animals and must be treated as such. All horses in his stable required lots of time to be spent on them. l’roper nutrition was a must in their regular feed— ing. He stated that their problems may be fixed almost before they can happen with

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