Behind the Gate “2; 
     
    
   
   
    
     A lot of water has gone under the bridge 
     
    
   
   
    
     between [llCSL’ I\\'() L‘VCI‘IIS. 
     
    
   
   
    
     A major concern for any trainer is 
     
     attempting to make enough money to 
     
     keep the owners happy. This is difficult 
     
     to do because it is so competitiye on the 
     
     track with so many good colts and fillies. 
     
     In addition. the costs haye escalated a 
     
     great deal more than the revenues. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Do you remember when lilwood Shaw 
     
     and Eric Moreside gaye lslanders a week~ 
     
     ly diet of thrilling one‘quarter mile dash- 
     
     es in sub Zero temperatures with a pari— 
     
     mutuel to boot on the .\'orth Riyer 
     
     Causeway? Some still \"iSULlliZL‘ the count— 
     
     less cars. trucks. trailers and people lined 
     
     ten deep on both sides of the cleared. 
     
     one—quarter mile ice surface as the start? 
     
     ing gate and seyen anxious horses and 
     
     driyers passed. Albert was part of that 
     
     history. He droye (finger/Mead .llmz in 
     
     the top class at the Causeway. \\'ith the 
     
     introduction ol winter racing at the tracks 
     
     and the adyent ot‘ global warming. ice 
     
    
   
   
    
     racing is now obsolete. 
     
    
   
   
    
     'l‘his experienced horseman realized a 
     
     dream eyery aspiring driyer has had. He 
     
     droye in the prestigious (‘iold (iup and 
     
     Saucer. ln tact. he did it twice. In 1983. 
     
     the Gold (Iup and Saucer had grown 
     
     immensely in status. This race was special 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     an 
     
    
   
   
    
     Albert Bernard 
     
    
   
   
    
     because he had broken and trained his 
     
     entry. Spin .\'l)(/11((1' for lack and Ken 
     
     Gillis. ln 2002. Albert drove the yery 
     
     competitiye Ste/son Any Size {or owners 
     
     Bob (iraswell and Lowell Stead in the 
     
     Gold (Iup and Saucer and realized his 
     
     dream for a second time. He didnt win 
     
     the big race in either attempt but he was 
     
     in it twice. 
     
    
   
   
    
     \\"ith reluctance he remembered. "I haye 
     
     had a lot of broken bones and bad acci— 
     
     dents on the track oyer the years." The 
     
     hurt was increased when it happened at 
     
     the peak of the racing season and he 
     
     couldn't participate. One year was espe— 
     
     lt was Old 
     
     Home \\'eek and he didn't haye a horse 
     
    
   
   
    
     cially filled with bad luck. 
     
    
   
   
    
     in his barn to race. He and l’aul Doyle 
     
     had Rue liel/ Charlie and that was the 
     
     only horse he raced that week. He did 
     
    
   
   
    
     not want to re\isit that experience again. 
     
    
   
   
    
     In addition to his lather. two ot the peo— 
     
     ple that he respected a lot for their con— 
     
     tribution to the industry were Frank 
     
     "Duck" Acorn and llenny O'Donnell. ln 
     
     oyer ()0 years ol‘ inyolyement. Duck per— 
     
     formed many roles required to keep a 
     
     track in operation. llenny O'Donnell 
     
     who just happened to be the lather of 
     
     \V'illiam "Magic" O'Donnell was a source 
     
     of adyice and assistance to both limmett 
     
     and Albert on more than one occasion. 
     
    
   
   
    
     “I have bad a lo! Q/‘bm/een bones and bold accidents 
     
    
   
   
    
     on the trade over z‘beyears. ’ 
     
    
   
   
    
     v 
     
    
   
   
    
     167