Bria drew involved to develop a colt or filly or to try to cure an older horse with physical ail- ments. You have to love the game to be involved because it is not an easy indus— try. The competition is keen and some- times nasty and difficult. The bottom line is I love to win a race.”

With the passing of time, we are losing or have lost many of the true horsepeople and real characters. These elders often permitted youngsters to pick their brains for hours on end. Their stories, experi- ences and expertise were so enjoyable and valuable; unfortunately, they may not have been truly appreciated at the time.

Veteran Charlottetown horseman, former hockey player and member of the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame Ralph Shepherd revealed to me that Robert McCain named Andrew’s Girl by ND. Hall after Blair Andrew who had trained and driven horses for him. This was the same Andrew ’5 Girl that raced in the John “Buddy” Campbell Stable for owner Bill Boyles. Errol] MacEachern, a former judge at the C.D.P., elaborated that Richie MacPhee purchased Andrew’s Girl for broodmare purposes. She was bred to Quebec Hanover and her first filly was Carolyn D. This mare raced by Angus MacPhee developed into one of the best mares ever produced on P.E.I.

In harness racing, some of your best moments are often unexpected. Brian explained his best moment or experience on the track, “Early in my career, I was

132

Behind the Gate

driving Dixie Killearz, a mare owned by my father. We won the race and I was very thankful. I met Bobby Mills on the turn as we were leaving the track after the race. Bobby excitedly informed me, ‘That’s a hell of a mile! Any idea what your mile was in? That was a mile in 2:01 and you drove her well. Congratu— lations." It wasn’t a big moment with a lot of fanfare but somehow, winning that race with his dad‘s mare was special. Bobby Mills' reaction meant a lot to Brian.

Thankfully, serious accidents are rare but they are inevitable and a fact of life at the racetrack. This veteran horseman had a few spills and he knew how hard the track could be. Brian knocked on wood because he knew that he had been fortu- nate to have escaped a serious injury that would have kept him off the bike for any length of time; however, he did experi— ence an incident early in his driving career at the Summerside Raceway in a qualifying event. He remembered it well, “Acadian Mist was a two-year—old filly that we intended to race in the P.E.I. Colt Stakes. I took three scores with her before the race and she was fine. In the race, there was a half-hobbled trotter who went to his knees and four of us fol— lowing went down. I went as high as the board fence at the track. Luckily, I was young; I landed on my feet with my stop- watch and whip still in the one hand. Tragically, the racing career of Acadiaii Mist ended. That accident taught me how quickly you could be out of it.”