Behind the Gate 
     
    
   
   
    
     A lot of water has gone under the bridge 
     
     between these two events. 
     
    
   
   
    
     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 competitive on the 
     
     track with so many good colts and fillies. 
     
     In addition, the costs have escalated a 
     
     great deal more than the revenues. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Do you remember when Elwood Shaw 
     
     and Eric Moreside gave Islanders a week— 
     
     ly diet of thrilling one—quarter mile dash— 
     
     es in sub zero temperatures with a pari- 
     
     mutuel to boot on the North River 
     
     Causeway? Some still visualize 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 seven anxious horses and 
     
     drivers passed. Albert was part of that 
     
     history. He drove Gingerbread Man in 
     
     the top class at the Causeway. With the 
     
     introduction of winter racing at the tracks 
     
     and the advent of global warming, ice 
     
     racing is now obsolete. 
     
    
   
   
    
     This experienced horseman realized a 
     
     dream every aspiring driver has had. He 
     
     drove in the prestigious Gold Cup and 
     
     Saucer. In fact, he did it twice. In 1985, 
     
     the Gold Cup and Saucer had grown 
     
     immensely in status. This race was special 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     Albert yelimard 
     
    
   
   
    
     because he had broken and trained his 
     
     entry, Spin N Dandy for jack and Ken 
     
     Gillis. In 2002. Albert drove the very 
     
     competitive Stetson Any Size for owners 
     
     Bob Craswell and Lowell Stead in the 
     
     Gold Cup and Saucer and realized his 
     
     dream for a second time. He didn‘t win 
     
     the big race in either attempt but he was 
     
     in it twice. 
     
    
   
   
    
     With reluctance he remembered, “I have 
     
     had a lot of broken bones and bad acci- 
     
     dents on the track over 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— 
     
     cially filled with bad luck. It was Old 
     
     Home Week and he didn't have a horse 
     
     in his barn to race. He and Paul Doyle 
     
     had Rae Bell Charlie and that was the 
     
     only horse he raced that week. He did 
     
     not want to revisit that experience again. 
     
    
   
   
    
     In addition to his father, two of the peo— 
     
     ple that he respected a lot for their con— 
     
     tribution to the industry were Frank 
     
     “Duck“ Acorn and Henny O'Donnell. In 
     
     over 60 years of involvement, Duck per- 
     
     formed many roles required to keep a 
     
     track in operation. Henny O'Donnell 
     
     who just happened to be the father of 
     
     William “Magic" O'Donnell was a source 
     
     of advice and assistance to both Emmett 
     
     and Albert on more than one occasion. 
     
    
   
   
    
     “I bar/e bad a lot of broken bones and bad accidents 
     
     on tbe track over ibe years. ” 
     
    
   
   
    
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