The Guardian Gold Cup and Saucer 2020

THEGUARDIAN.PE.CA

SATURDAY, AUGUST 15, 2020 •

GOLD CUP AND SAUCER

D1

& p u S C a u d l c o er G Greatest show in harness racing from the legendary Charlottetown Driving Park!

Tune in to the official race day broadcast at redshores.ca

7935501

Saturday, Aug. 22 Red Shores Racetrack & Casino

Changing with the times The Guardian Gold Cup and Saucer going ahead with COVID-19-adapted program SARA ERICSSON

CONTINUED ON D4

The Guardian Gold Cup and Saucer event organizers have teamed up with local businesses to host viewing parties this year, where people can watch the races as they’re broadcast live. STEPHANIE MITCHELL n RED SHORES RACETRACK AND CASINO

Congratulations on 61 years! www.centennialautogroup.ca

7935291

“The show must go on” is a saying that feels more relevant than ever, as event organizers are finding ways to move forward with the current COVID-19 reality.

The Guardian Gold Cup and Saucer is among Charlottetown’s biggest annual events and will carry on with another year of top-tier harness-racing competition.

Lee Drake, the manager of racing, brands and broadcast at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino, says reducing the number of in-person spectators at races is the biggest change made this year.

But he says this change has also presented an opportunity, as race-viewing parties — where families and friends can take in the races live while staying safe — will be hosted at participating local businesses.

“At the end of the day, the horses are the show. This is a fun way to embrace that while you can’t get to the track yourself, we can take the track to you,” says Drake.

With the cancellation of this year’s Old Home Week celebrations, Drake says he and his fellow organizers felt it was important to keep some part of the event going.

They got together and drafted guidelines for grooms, racers and their

D2

GOLD CUP AND SAUCER • SATURDAY, AUGUST 15, 2020

THEGUARDIAN.PE.CA

Firebolt and his driver, Art Porter, are pictured here at the 1969 Gold Cup and Saucer presentation alongside Miss Gold Cup Arlene Doherty and Lt.-Gov. W.J. MacDonald. The 50th anniversary of the team’s 1970 Gold Cup and Saucer Free-for-All win will be commemorated at this year’s event.

CONTRIBUTED

Fifty years of Firebolt Horse and driver team to be commemorated at The Guardian Gold Cup and Saucer SARA ERICSSON

He was a little horse and his owner’s second choice to race, but Firebolt would go on to win two consecutive Gold Cup and Saucer harness races in 1969 and 1970.

It’s been 50 years since his final Charlottetown racing victory, where Firebolt and driver Art Porter gave the crowd a race to remember.

It’s a race many haven’t yet forgot, according to harness-racing historian Jerry McCabe, who says the story will make headlines again this year with the 50th anniversary commemoration of that 1970 win.

“Firebolt had become the kingpin on the circuit that summer and was the horse to beat. His racing style was one that thrilled fans and brought them to their feet, screaming with excitement,” says McCabe.

Firebolt was the underdog going into the 1969 event after a lastminute change, according to Porter’s nephew, Bill O’Donnell, who says his uncle convinced the horse’s owner, Capt. John T. Cruickshank, to race him instead of their firstchoice horse.

“Everyone thought Firebolt wasn’t good enough, but my uncle really believed in him. And so the owner agreed and the race invitation was amended to let Firebolt

Firebolt continued to be a top horse even after his two consecutive victories in 1969 and 1970. He’s pictured here at the 1971 event with driver Harvey Cormier. CONTRIBUTED

race,” says O’Donnell.

After this change was finalized, Porter and his team headed from Sackville Downs — their home racetrack in Nova Scotia — to the big event in Charlottetown, where McCabe says thousands of spectators lined the track’s hub rail.

The race didn’t disappoint, with Firebolt easily winning both of his heats and being proclaimed the 1969 Free-for-All winner.

“Then, the next thing you know, they’d won the race,” laughs O’Donnell.

McCabe says this victory meant the following year was different for Porter and Firebolt, as they now had a title to defend. Fresh off multiple wins across the harness-racing circuit, McCabe says they were the favourites to win in 1970.

And the pair did just that, winning the big event for the second

year in a row. The team won one heat and lost another, but because 1970 scoring tallied results from both heats, the team was again crowned champions.

Firebolt’s winning cooler and trophy from his second victory will be on display at this year’s event as part of the commemoration.

“He was the best horse around at that time, there’s no doubt,” says O’Donnell.

McCabe says The Guardian Gold Cup and Saucer remains one of the biggest races to win in Canada and even North America, with many top stables bringing their harnessracing teams down to race.

With many horses having come and gone, Firebolt’s legacy lives on, according to McCabe. He says Firebolt and Porter are remembered as one of a small number of teams to have won the race twice.

“A crowd poll from the racing event’s 50th anniversary asked people to pick their favourite winner for a virtual race contest and the fan voting revealed Firebolt was most popular and won the virtual Gold Cup and Saucer, too,” says McCabe.

“He was a real fan favourite then and still is to this day.”

Editor’s note: Firebolt’s driver, Art Porter, passed away on July 29 at the age of 92.

Kevin Quinn 902-629-0201 Kevin.quinn1@pei.sympatico.ca • peirealestateagent.com

7935361

Best of Luck

7935386

Congratulations on the 61st running of the Gold Cup and Saucer!

THEGUARDIAN.PE.CA

SATURDAY, AUGUST 15, 2020 •

GOLD CUP AND SAUCER

D3

‘It’s a great feeling’ Earl Smith shares memories of Gold Cup and Saucer win to go, three horses were neck and neck coming out of the final turn. Excitement reached a point of delirium as Cameron boomed out, “This is the greatest Gold Cup and Saucer of all time!”

It was in the home stretch that Pownal Bay Matt showed he still had an extra gear in store, pulling away from the pack and winning by a full length.

“He got the job done and we won it,” says Smith. He remembers the rush of photographers, well-wishers and harness-racing fans as the celebrations began in the winner’s circle.

“It’s a great feeling,” says Smith. “It’s like winning the Stanley Cup.” At age 59, Smith had become the oldest driver ever to capture the Gold Cup and Saucer. He has raced in this prestigious event a total of five times, where he has also finished second, fifth, seventh and eighth.

Smith, now 71, still trains and drives horses, making the daily trek from his Hunter River home to the stables at the Charlottetown Driving Park. He currently trains seven of the roughly 250 horses stabled there.

Each horse has to be exercised daily.

While the work is rewarding and meaningful, it doesn’t bring the same adrenalin rush as the home stretch on The Guardian Gold Cup and Saucer night.

“It’s a day of routines,” he says. “You start early in the morning and get your work done.”

JOEY FITZPATRICK

The odds were not looking good for Pownal Bay Matt on the night of the 2008 Gold Cup and Saucer race.

The five-year-old stallion was pegged as a 19-1 long shot and he had drawn post eight, the outside starting position on the track. Starting positions are determined by random draw prior to the race.

“It’s the worst post to have,” says his driver and trainer, Earl Smith. “You’re starting way out wide to the outside.”

But Pownal Bay Matt had defied the odds before. Born on Prince Edward Island, the stallion had fractured his leg while racing in Ontario. A broken leg is often a careerending injury for a racehorse.

He was brought home to Prince Edward Island to recoup and eventually resume training.

Smith became his trainer and driver — and he saw the horse’s potential right away.

“He was a world-class and well-bred horse,” he says.

“You can tell a lot by their attitude. It’s like a hockey player — they either want to play or they don’t.”

The competition is fierce at The Guardian Gold Cup and Saucer, as the prestigious event attracts the top standardbreds and drivers from across North America.

As the mobile starting gate pulled away from the horses, track announcer Vance Cameron let out his signature call: “It’s showtime!”

Pownal Bay Matt and Earl Smith won the 2008 Gold Cup and Saucer.

GAIL AND RONOTA PHOTOS

For the first half-mile, it didn’t appear that Smith and Pownal Bay Matt would be able to overcome their poor

starting position. But on the backstretch of the second lap, Smith began to make his move.

“I just eased him out and saved what he had for the end of the race,” he says.

With an eighth of a mile

2020

SUMMER BLOWOUT

AT EXPERIENCE HYUNDAI

WE WON’T BE BEAT!

ENJOY AMAZING DEALS ON OUR REMAINING 2020’S INCLUDING:

UP TO

OR

2 000 CASH 0% 84

$

,

UP TO

2020 TUCSON

2020 SANTA FE

REBATE

UP TO

MTHS

OR

4 500 0% 84

$

CASH

UP TO

REBATE

,

UP TO

OR

MTHS

4 000 CASH 0% 84

$

REBATE

,

UP TO

MTHS

CHECK OUT MORE OF WHAT WE HAVE TO OFFER BELOW THEN HEAD ON IN TO SEE US AT EXPERIENCE HYUNDAI ON ACTION CORNER!

www.experiencehyundai.com

902-569-2277

15 MT EDWARD ROAD, CHARLOTTETOWN

experiencehyundai.com

CONGRATULATIONS ON THE RUNNING OF THE 61 ST ANNUAL GOLD CUP AND SAUCER !

7934108

2020 ELANTRA

D4

GOLD CUP AND SAUCER • SATURDAY, AUGUST 15, 2020

THEGUARDIAN.PE.CA

How it all began From Old Home Week to The Guardian Gold Cup and Saucer “For years, the saying was, ‘When Old Home Week is over, that’s the end of summer.’”

SARA ERICSSON

WWW.THEGUARDIAN.PE.CA

horses to follow and settled on a smaller number of viewers on the tarmac to ensure COVID-19 precautions could properly take place.

Though the number of ticket holders will sit around 1,000 this year, Drake says, those taking in the race in person can still expect a fantastic show.

“The best thing about the race itself is you’ll still have the best horses and drivers competing. The story around the big event will continue on,” he says.

Drake says this year’s viewing parties will be where people can not only catch races live, but also buy tickets on which horse they think will win. He says the race TV program will also include cleverly

The Guardian Gold Cup and Saucer event was added in 1960, two decades after Old Home Week was launched in 1940. CONTRIBUTED

Other harness-racing events were held on Prince Edward Island before The Guardian Gold Cup and Saucer started in 1960, typically drawing 10,000 to 15,000 spectators, many of whom would pile against the tarmac’s hub rail to witness the action. CONTRIBUTED

might even become a war target, but the colonel laid all of that to rest, arguing it was important for troops to know

“The best thing about the race itself is you’ll still have the best horses and drivers competing. The story around the big event will continue on.”

Lee Drake crafted historical pieces and present viewers with event storylines they may have never heard of before.

“We’ll be going into these locations through the live broadcast with some incredible programming. People will

people back home were O.K.” In 1941, McCabe says the Exhibition was running once again and the event became

what it is today, including its renowned harness races. By the end of the war, crowds of 18,000 per day would pay

be watching in real time and will be part of the broadcast and show as they take it all in at one of our local businesses,” he says, adding that participating locations will be announced soon.

Drake says whether people are there in person, viewing at a local business or watching from their own party at home, he is confident the same large crowds will tune in to the tradition and share in the sense of Prince Edward Island pride that accompanies the event year after year.

“It’s so important to do a version of it this year to keep tradition going. Harness racing on P.E.I. and in the Maritimes is part of our fabric, our history, so it’s exciting to be able to pull this off,” says Drake.

The Guardian Gold Cup and Saucer week takes place Aug. 13 to 22. For more information, visit redshores.ca.

th 61ST running the i of the Gold Cup & Sauc cer!

Wishing g all participants and d spectators a great week!

admission and attend livestock events in the morning, races in the afternoon and vaudeville events in the centre field.

McCabe says The Guardian Gold Cup and Saucer event was introduced in 1960 and quickly became the most prestigious race to win in the Maritimes.

He says it prompted the addition of the first Gold Cup and Saucer Parade in 1961, which has since grown into one of the largest parades in the Atlantic region, regularly drawing as many as 60,000 spectators.

“For years, the saying was, ‘When Old Home Week is over, that’s the end of summer.’

It’s the place everyone wanted to be and, for us and so many others, continues to be the pinnacle of our summer,” says McCabe.

While Old Home Week is cancelled this year due to COVID-19, the harness-racing events scheduled from Aug. 13 to 22, including The Guardian Gold Cup and Saucer, are going ahead at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park. To learn more, visit redshores.ca.

P.O. Box 128, 5 Gerald McCarville Drive, Kensington, PE C0B 1M0 Phone: (902) 836-5500 | Fax: (902) 836-5320

Congratulations on the running of the

61 GOLD CUP AND SAUCER ST

from all of us at

The Atlantic Provinces Harness Racing Commission

7935363

FROM D1 CHANGING

Jerry McCabe

7932462

Jerry McCabe grew up just one block from Charlottetown’s harness-racing racetrack and remembers when his cousins from St. Peters would visit for Old Home Week — the only trip they made each year.

The event was the highlight of their summer, as it was for many on Prince Edward Island who took part in the celebrations. It’s still important for many Islanders, who McCabe says continue to trek home each year to attend the event alongside family and friends.

McCabe, an Old Home Week and harness-racing historian, says it’s extremely fitting, as Lt.-Col. Dan MacKinnon founded the event to bring people together who’d left the province.

After the Second World War broke out in 1939 and that year’s Exhibition was cancelled, McCabe says MacKinnon felt organizing some kind of event was vital to boosting morale on Prince Edward Island.

“At the time, the colonel owned The Guardian newspaper and the Charlottetown Driving Park, so he petitioned the lieutenant-governor to allow him to add a week of racing in 1940 and to dub the festivities Old Home Week,” says McCabe.

MacKinnon’s timing was seen as more than a little controversial by some, but MacKinnon, a war hero himself, felt passionate this event was just what people needed.

“The lieutenant-governor thought there was some disconnect and that the event

Congratulations on the running of the st 61 Gold Cup & Saucer and Atlantic Class Sale from all of us at The PEI Harness Racing Association

7935374

THEGUARDIAN.PE.CA

SATURDAY, AUGUST 15, 2020 •

GOLD CUP AND SAUCER

D5

Calling the Gold Cup and Saucer Vance Cameron’s trackannouncing career through the decades CHRIS MUISE

Harness-racing fans who take in The Guardian Gold Cup and Saucer this year can rest easy knowing there will be a familiar voice calling out the action on the track.

Vance Cameron was a fresh-faced 19-year-old when he got his first shot at calling the Charlottetown-based race.

“I followed the race announcer back in the ’70s in Summerside and Charlottetown. His name was Ed Watters,” Cameron recalls. “Mr. Watters retired in 1978 in Charlottetown. There was a little competition for announcers at the time between myself and another gentleman. I ended up winning.”

Cameron has had an illustrious career with The Guardian Gold Cup and Saucer ever since. While he hasn’t called every year, 2020 will still mark an auspicious anniversary. Cameron has called enough races that he’s managed to announce at least once in every decade since the 1970s.

“My only goal left — and I’m running out of time to do it — is to call a race at 149 and four.”

Vance Cameron being presented with Canada’s Best Race Call for the 2008 Gold Cup and Saucer. From left: Kent Oakes, former chairman of Standardbred Canada; Lee Drake, Red Shores Broadcast; Vance Cameron; and Peter MacPhee, Red Shores Broadcast. CONTRIBUTED

Gold Cup and dS Saucerr The harness racing industry is an important part of our Island culture, traditions, economy my y and of course our summers. The Gold Cup and Saucer Race has been one of the most celebrated harness racing events in Eastern Canada since the early 1960’s and, while this year will look a little different, we will still celebrate.

Good luck to all those participating, we are all cheering you on!

Vance Cameron

PrinceEdwardIsland.ca

7935290

Hon n. Dennis King Prem mier of Prince Edward Island

This ad is paid for by the government of Prince Edward Island

Congratulations on the 61st running of the Gold Cup and Saucer Race!

T ATAT VTA  UVT  P A A Proudly supporting the harness racing industry in Atlantic Canada

upei.ca/avc

7935330

Cameron has seen the race change a lot throughout the decades, most prominently in the calibre of equine talent.

“There’s a 12-second swing between the very first one I did, to the track record that stands there right now,” says Cameron. “Back in the early days, they were all pretty much maritime horses.

There’s been some top-name harness-racing stables come to Charlottetown to search for that Gold Cup and Saucer win. We’ve been able to entertain world-class horses.”

He says it’s definitely tighter calling races today, but he’s kept pace so far.

“My only goal left — and I’m running out of time to do it — is to call a race at 149 and four,” says Cameron. “The fastest I’ve called is 150 and one. That’s only two-fifths of a second away.”

His enthusiasm for the sport shines through during rainy races, where mud and gloom obscure the action, and the nail-biters, like the one he called in 2008 that earned him Canada’s Best Race Call award.

“People have said, ‘It wouldn’t matter if it were a $500 claimer or a $500,000 claimer; the Vance Cameron calls are pretty much the same,” he says.

Cameron is now 60 and even though he’s battled and bested throat cancer, he knows his remaining time in the booth is limited. He also knows this year’s race will be very different, due to COVID19 safety measures, and the local horses won’t be as fast as fans are used to.

However, he assures spectators are still in for a show and he doesn’t see himself doing anything different than he always has once the races start.

“I’m just going to give them the Vance Cameron that they’re used to,” he says. “And it’ll be exciting, there’s no doubt about it.”

D6

GOLD CUP AND SAUCER • SATURDAY, AUGUST 15, 2020

THEGUARDIAN.PE.CA

At home on the track Mr. Old Home Week visits Charlottetown every year “I’ve never missed Old Home Week since I was about five years old. The whole week is great fun and then people come from all over to see the Gold Cup and Saucer.”

Since 1888, Prince Edward Islanders and visitors have been coming to Charlottetown each August to take part in the P.E.I. Provincial Exhibition (Old Home Week). This year, unfortunately, it’s been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, the harness-racing events scheduled as part of The Guardian Gold Cup and Saucer at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park are going ahead, taking place Aug. 13 to 22.

One person who has made the trip every year for Old Home Week celebrations is Garry MacDonald. Now living in Ontario, MacDonald has returned every summer to his family’s home in Mount Albion, where he stays while taking part in Old Home Week.

“P.E.I. is home,” he says. “I’ve never missed Old Home Week since I was about five years old.

The whole week is great fun and then people come from all over to see the Gold Cup and Saucer.”

In fact, MacDonald is affectionately referred to as Mr. Old Home Week by family members, friends and acquaintances.

Unfortunately, he’s unable to attend this year due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.

MacDonald has made history as a driver during Old Home Week, the week of races leading up to the Gold Cup and Saucer finale.

He’s driven during this week every year since he received his parimutuel licence in his early 20s and has won at least one race every year for

ABOVE: Garry MacDonald in his element with Acton Amigo.

LEFT: Garry MacDonald has earned his Mr. Old Home Week nickname over the years and is still active as a driver, trainer and horse owner.

CONTRIBUTED

the past 40 years.

MacDonald has captured the Francis McIsaac Memorial, which is awarded for the most points accumulated during Old Home Week, a record 10 consecutive years and 11 times in total.

Points are awarded for first, second and third-place finishes. The award, formerly known as the Old Home Week British Consols, was renamed in honour of legendary driver Francis McIsaac, who died tragically while racing in Saint John, N.B., in 1979.

It was in Mount Albion that

Garry MacDonald MacDonald began driving and training horses at a very young age. By the time he was 14, he was racing at Pinette Raceway, a matinee track just a 35-minute drive east of Charlottetown. A matinee track is a non-betting track, where young horses and drivers can hone their skills and gain valuable experience away from the crowds and competition of larger tracks.

MacDonald has trained and raced horses in Ontario, the Maritime provinces and Maine.

“At one time, we had stables in Charlottetown, at Sackville Downs in Nova Scotia and in Moncton all at the same time,” he recalls. “So, there were a lot of horses over the years.”

MacDonald is still active as a driver, trainer and horse owner.

“I don’t drive as much as I used to,” he says, “but I still train.”

7931735

JOEY FITZPATRICK