The first horse that Albert drove in a race 
     
     was Lee Cyclonic by Cyclonic. He was a 
     
     free-legged pacer because he hated the 
     
     hobbles and was prone to making 
     
     breaks. Albert was 18 at the time and he 
     
     remembered being very scared. His dad's 
     
     instructions were to get him around if he 
     
     could. Albert could get him around and 
     
     he did even better. He won that race in 
     
     2:19. He was victorious in his very first 
     
     drive and he was overjoyed. Since that 
     
     victory 46 years ago, this teamster has 
     
     accumulated 1,169 more visits to the 
     
     Winners’ Circle and he enjoyed them. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Albert had fond and vivid memories of 
     
     some of the best horses under his tute— 
     
     lage over the years. He liked to remem— 
     
     ber them this way, “Island Ribbon was a 
     
     super filly. Beauty Greenwood will 
     
     always stand out in my mind. I broke 
     
     and trained Spin NDandy all the way to 
     
     the stakes and to the Gold Cup and 
     
     Saucer. Island Kaptain was a hell of a 
     
     trotter. Captain jamie was a super trotter. 
     
     Enersaue won 15 races as a three—year—old 
     
     and was as tough as whalebone.” This 
     
     was an honor roll of Atlantic standard— 
     
     breds that would make any horseman 
     
     proud. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Albert Bernard drove in thousands of 
     
     races but four were most memorable—— 
     
     coming three deep with Island Ribbon to 
     
     win the two-year-old championship in 
     
     Truro when she wasn't 100 per cent at the 
     
     time, a three deep move at the half with 
     
     Enersave to win the Stanfield in Truro 
     
     and driving Spin N Dandy and Stetson 
     
    
   
   
    
     166 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     Behind the Gate 
     
    
   
   
    
     Any Size in the Gold Cup and Saucer. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Joan Bernard always supported her hus- 
     
     band and their son, Shane in the harness 
     
     racing industry. This couple had anoth— 
     
     er son, Trevor who never really got inter— 
     
     ested or involved in the game. joan 
     
     attended the races on occasion and made 
     
     many trips with Albert to tracks around 
     
     the Maritimes. She was co-owner of Filer 
     
     of Seal who raced with some success for 
     
     Albert. jenny, Albert's mother, enjoyed 
     
     an occasional visit to the GDP. on race 
     
     night to see her son or grandson in 
     
     action on the track. 
     
    
   
   
    
     To whip or not to whip is a very contro— 
     
     versial and touchy topic in Atlantic racing 
     
     circles. There are strong arguments and 
     
     supporters on both sides of this topic. 
     
     Albert stated emphatically, “You can't 
     
     take the whip out of the driver's hand.” 
     
     He believed that only about five per cent 
     
     of the drivers were responsible for abuse 
     
     of the whip on the horses. He also 
     
     believed that the judges could solve the 
     
     problem with adherence to the rules as 
     
     stated and appropriate fines and suspen— 
     
     sions for violators. “Progress is being 
     
     made but we still have a ways to go,” he 
     
     asserted with confidence. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Albert loved horses. He especially 
     
     enjoyed bringing colts and fillies along, 
     
     seeing young horses improve and seeing 
     
     them get to the stakes. There is a real 
     
     sense of accomplishment when one you 
     
     have selected in the yearling sales makes 
     
     it to the Winners" Circle in a stakes race.