Barneyé . 
     
     at the C.D.P. This was to be the begin— 
     
     ning of many lasting and meaningful rela- 
     
     tionships with fellow horsemen. This 
     
     youngster would receive valuable advice 
     
     and experience at the GDP. from talent— 
     
     ed horsemen like Clark Smith, Harold 
     
     Stead, Charlie Willis, john “Buddy" 
     
     Campbell, Cyril Smith, Elwood Shaw and 
     
     others. He particularly remembered 
     
     Gerald Fitzpatrick who was very good to 
     
     him and answered many of his equine 
     
     questions. Barney remembered that Joe 
     
     Hennessey treated his horses well and 
     
    
   
   
    
     that Joe was always nice to kids. 
     
    
   
   
    
     At age 25, Barney had just finished work- 
     
     ing for Earl Smith when he decided to 
     
     operate his own stable. Millage MacLeod 
     
     sent him Easy Go and Happy D Scott and 
     
     this was the beginning. Soon Lowell 
     
     Cotton and Armand Arsenault sent 
     
     Demetrie and a colt to Barney. David 
     
     Reeves added Wallebz‘ll Lad to the stable. 
     
     Barney spent that winter racing his stable 
     
     at Sackville Downs and experienced 
     
     moderate success in his new venture as 
     
     trainer/driver. 
     
    
   
   
    
     After driving in literally thousands of 
     
     races at many different racetracks over a 
     
     period of 35 years, this driver still remem- 
     
     bered his first drive in a race very clearly. 
     
     He was helping Clark Smith who had 
     
     Easy Go in his stable for Millage MacLeod 
     
     and Barney used to look after this horse 
     
     on a regular basis. His first race took 
     
     place at the C.D.P. and Barney described, 
     
     “I was sitting third with Easy Go when 
     
     another driver in the race, Francis 
     
    
   
   
    
     80 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     Behind the Gate 
     
    
   
   
    
     McIsaac urged me to get that fellow out 
     
     and get at ‘em. I moved my horse to the 
     
     outside and lost a stretch drive in a 
     
     photofinish to Horizon driven by Elmer 
     
     Clow in 2:09. That was a race I will 
     
     never forget!” 
     
    
   
   
    
     His next two drives were at the 
     
     Summerside Raceway that same week in 
     
     a double dash with Easy Go. In both 
     
     dashes, he sat behind the pace—setting 
     
     Darius owned by Joe Smallwood. Barney 
     
     and Easy Go won both dashes and, in the 
     
     process, he had his first official lifetime 
     
     victOIy Barney was thankful to the 
     
     many owners and trainers whose horses 
     
     have enabled him to visit the Winners’ 
     
     Circle 1,529 times since that memorable 
     
     victory. His fastest win ever was in 1:57 
     
     with Neal Moase’s Port Blaffat the C.D.P. 
     
    
   
   
    
     I asked Barney to say something about 
     
     six of his most memorable horses. He 
     
     answered, “Darn Good Caper owned by 
     
     D.V. MacDonald was a really nice horse 
     
     around the barn and on the track. I used 
     
     to look after him for Clark Smith. Everett 
     
     Stewart’s Away Oul was a tough horse. 
     
     You could park him. It didn’t matter how 
     
     you drove him. He wasn’t a sound horse 
     
     but could still race competitively in the 
     
     top class. Everett sold him to Merrill 
     
     MacLean. Miss Kay Mac owned by 
     
     Duncan MacKay was a good one who 
     
     still held the GDP. trotting record of 
     
     2:012 for three-year old fillies. Millage 
     
     Macl.eod’s Ernie Span/leer was a good old 
     
     trotter with whom Clark Smith would 
     
    
   
   
    
     school many of his colts. He would