Behind the Gate 
     
    
   
   
    
     There are very few people that you meet 
     
     as you go from track to track that you 
     
     couldn’t sit down and enjoy an evening." 
     
    
   
   
    
     One aspect about her business that she 
     
     did not appreciate was explained, “I 
     
     guess the fact that it is tough to make a 
     
     great living but with a lot of hours and 
     
     effort you can make a good living. It 
     
     makes you envious when you see people 
     
     in other vocations making more money 
     
     and better benefits with less toil.” 
     
    
   
   
    
     Clare believed that she was very fortunate 
     
     to make her livelihood working with 
     
     something she truly loved. She put it this 
     
     way, “I have always loved horses, I love 
     
     everything about them — the smell, the 
     
     feel, the action, the way they act. I have 
     
     always loved everything about a horse; 
     
     however, a horse requires constant care. 
     
     You must make sure that he or she is 
     
     comfortable, well fed, well groomed and 
     
     well exercised. If you don’t put the hours 
     
     on them before they perform on the 
     
     track, don’t have high expectations.” 
     
    
   
   
    
     This extremely skilled trainer/driver/blac 
     
     ksmith didn’t believe that she has yet had 
     
     her best experience or moment in the 
     
     sport. She put it succinctly, “I haven’t 
     
     had it yet. I really and truly hope I 
     
     haven’t had it yet." On the other hand, 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     Clare jWé’onald 
     
    
   
   
    
     she was involved in a few accidents but 
     
     they have been few according to the 
     
     number of years that she has driven. She 
     
     experienced broken ribs from an acci- 
     
     dent on the track and was out a couple 
     
     of weeks from time to time. She was 
     
     forced to sit on the sidelines during three 
     
     pregnancies. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Clare was very articulate especially when 
     
     giving advice to a youngster contemplat- 
     
     ing a career with the horses. She 
     
     advised, “Don’t be scared to work. It is 
     
     a business that you really do have to start 
     
     at the bottom to be successful. You must 
     
     put in your time with all facets of the 
     
     game in order to learn valuable funda- 
     
     mentals and gain necessary experience. 
     
     You must come up through the ranks; 
     
     you can’t start at the top.” 
     
    
   
   
    
     Over the years, Clare had a number of 
     
     talented and hard—working people 
     
     employed at their farm and she thanked 
     
     them for their contributions over the 
     
     years. Some of them included Bruce 
     
     MacLaine, Roy Burton, Greg MacLellan, 
     
     Anthony Banks and Ambyr MacPhee. 
     
     Clare stated that she had never worked 
     
     for anybody else but her father. 
     
    
   
   
    
     The person that this 47—year—old respect- 
     
     ed most in the sport was Billy O’Donnell. 
     
    
   
   
    
     “1 have always loved horses, I love everything about them — 
     
    
   
   
    
     the smell, the feel, the action, the way they act. ” 
     
    
   
   
    
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