Saturday night came up short for leading Maritime reinsman Marc Campbell.
The 27-year-old Winsloe resident lost out on the Award for horsemanship to Alberta’s Keith Clark at the O’Brien Awards gala at the Delta Meadowvale in Mississauga, Ont.
Clark garnered 32 votes to Campbell’s 15.
“I didn’t go in with any expectations,” Campbell said after returning from Ontario. “I was just happy to get that far. It was a first-class show. Everything went off without a hitch.”
Campbell traveled to the awards with wife, Natasha, along with his cousin, Meghan MacDonald, and his mother.
He spent his time in Ontario with good friend Anthony MacDonald and Campbell says it was worth the trip just to see old friends.
He did not get the chance to meet 58-year-old Clark during the packed ceremonies.
“I was kind of hoping I would run into him and congratulate him on winning,” Campbell said.
In the stats department, Campbell has 776 driving wins and 201 training victories lifetime, while Clark has 6,067 wins as a driver and 3,753 training wins.
But to be fair, Clark had nearly 1,000 of each before Campbell was even born.
Clark was a former winner in the category, garnering the horsemanship honour in 2004 (only the second year it was handed out), but Campbell sees no problem in him winning it twice.
“If he deserves to win it every year then he should win it every year,” Campbell said. “It’s not that bad getting beat by a guy who is in the (Canadian Horse Racing) Hall of Fame. He’s a legend out west. Maybe someday I’ll be a legend in the East.”
P.E.I. scene
The P.E.I. breeding scene has a bright new face on the pacing side, with the addition of Chasin Racin.
The six-year-old son of The Panderosa- Contrapan-Artsplace, is owned by Jamie MacKinley of Clyde River and Jody and Larissa Sanderson of Qatar.
Campaigned in all of North America’s top events, the pacer has 18 wins, and $713,416 in earnings.
His major paydays include wins in the $104,400 Matts Scooter series final at The Meadowlands, and legs of the Levy series at Yonkers, as well as second-place finishes in the $500,000 Hoosier Cup and the $500,000 Battle of Brandywine.
He is a winner on every size track, with a mark of 1:51.1 at The Meadowlands, 1:51 over Chester’s 5/8ths surface and 1:52.2 over the half-mile oval at Yonkers.
He is currently enjoying a rest at Ron MacKinley’s farm (Jamie’s father) for the next eight weeks, before heading to the Earl Smith stable at the Charlottetown Driving Park to prepare for the 2012 season.
He will be collected at the Atlantic Veterinary College during that time.
A benefit is being held tonight at the Murphy Centre in Charlottetown for Kevin Campbell, who is battling cancer.
Kevin is the son of breeder Blair Campbell of North Wiltshire.
Auction items include a table for four to the top of the park during Old Home Week, and breedings to Chasin Racin, Carnivore and a Meridian Farms stallion of your choice, among other items.
The night kicks off with a silent auction at 8:30, followed by a live auction and dance.
My condolences go to the family of Sterling Nicholson, who passed away last week in Charlottetown.
The 58-year-old was an avid harness racing fan and a regular at the Charlottetown Driving Park.
His brother Gordon is another regular at the track and brother Eldred is an active breeder and volunteer in P.E.I. racing.
The fastest Maritime-bred trotter in the history of racing on the East Coast is back in training.
Waiting On A Woman is currently jogging at Mitch and Dave Tierney’s New Haven training centre in preparation for 2012.
The Charlottetown and Summerside track record holder will be trained down on P.E.I., with plans for him to be sent to Ron MacLean near London, Ont., in late March.
Around the tracks
Sunday at Flamboro Downs, Freddy My Boy was a dominate winner in his Ontario debut for driver James MacDonald and trainer Mark McKinnon in 1:58.3 in a $8,500 claimer.
He is owned by Mike Collings of Charlottetown.
The benefit for injured trainer-driver Gilles Barrieau is set for Saturday at Exhibition Park Raceway in Saint John, N.B., with a 2 p.m. start time.
Auction items include breedings to stallions Tell All, Astronomical, Feelin Friskie and Vintage Master, as well as autographed driving suits from some of the top sulky sitters in North America.
To view a complete listed of items, go to www.hrnb.ca.
Who’s hot
A quick climb up the class ladder for Casual Motion ended in a top-class victory Saturday at the Charlottetown Driving Park.
Casual Motion took the $1,900 feature in 1:59l.
The climb started on Dec. 26, as the son of Camotion won a non-winner’s $351 class, then followed up with four wins out of five starts with owner-trainer Joey Pineau in the bike, to give him $2,625 in earnings since Boxing Day.
Nicholas Oakes’ column appears in The Guardian each Friday. He can be
reached at nicholasoakes@hotmail.com.
