by Chris Lomon

Carson Abbott wasn’t about to let it end that way.

The fifth race at Fraser Downs — the five-eighths mile oval in Surrey, BC — on April 4, 2024, had barely begun before the mayhem ensued.

A domino effect amongst multiple horses resulted in Abbott, in rein to a 4-year-old bay mare by the name of Sea Treasure, being unseated and then thrown to the track.

“It was bad,” he said of the accident that saw him and Sea Treasure escape unscathed except for some minor bumps and scratches. “But compared to what could have happened… it could have been a lot worse.”

Abbott’s first thought was to dust himself off and get right back in the race bike.

In the days following, he wasn’t quite so certain.

“The night it happened, I was still very motivated to drive and get back out there again,” Abbott said. “But throughout the week, I did a lot of thinking. I thought, ‘Should I be doing this?’ and ‘Can I still do this?’ Mentally, it was hard for me to come to a decision.

“I felt that there were better days to come, and I wanted to keep going. The following weeks made me very happy that I made that choice.”

It’s understandable why Abbott would feel that way.

One week after the accident, he and Sea Treasure were into race at Fraser Downs.

There was no storybook ending on that evening — they finished fifth — but that would come less than a month later.

After they teamed to finish second, only a head behind the winner, on April 18, the pair was back behind the starter car seven days later.

Leaving from the same post 8 they did on the night of the spill, Abbott and Sea Treasure found themselves in sixth after an opening quarter in :28.3.

On the march, they were second through a half in 1:00.3 and then 1½-lengths clear through three-quarters in 1:30.1.

A myriad of thoughts rumbled through Abbot’s mind as they reached the finish line a length clear of their closest rival in 2:01.2.

“It made me very happy to not give up just because of that,” he said. “It was a very special win. That is my favorite race so far because of the story behind it.”

There had been other happy chapters prior to that evening.

On Sept. 22, 2022, Abbott finished third with the brown pacing mare Sea Breeze in his first race as the listed trainer.

One week later, the daughter of Shadow Play crossed the wire on top in a lifetime-best mark of 1:59.4.

The victory was even more special considering Abbott’s brother John (his other brother Mark was a driver and trainer) was in the sulky.

“My dad had the horse in his name as the trainer, but he let me put my name down as her trainer,” Carson said. “It was very exciting when I got my first training win with her – it was very special. Coming back to the winner’s circle, there were friends and family waiting there. It was a great moment.

“When she won that day, she won comfortably. Everything was just right with her that day. She also won by 12 lengths in 1:57 that October with John driving again. We never really got those types of efforts out of her again. I spent as much time with her as I could, keeping her happy and taking her for walks. But I enjoyed my time with her and really liked her.”

The young horseman is looking to experience more of those memorable moments on the racetrack.

Currently, he is working full-time for a local concrete pre-cast company, a job he has held for the past year and a half.

“They are two different worlds,” he said with a laugh.

His hope is to one day return to racing in a full-time capacity.

“With my driving career, I would like to get as much experience as I can and gain more confidence,” Carson said. “This is not an easy sport, but there is so much to love about it. I don’t want to get ahead of myself, I just want to drive consistently and take advantage of any opportunities that come my way.

“I’m also hoping one day to get back to training on more of a full-time basis. If I do come back full time, I’m hoping to really dive in head-first.”

He also has some plans in place for 2025.

“I would like to purchase my own horse in the near future for myself to drive and have my girlfriend, Alexa Bidell, who is also involved in racing, be the trainer,” Carson said.

Carson, admittedly, didn’t always have the so-called racing bug.

But he’s grateful to have caught it.

“I have always been around it since I was a kid,” he said. “I didn’t get seriously into it until about five years ago when I started working full-time for my dad. I started jogging horses and training them, but I also worked for some other people as well, catch-jogging and paddocking. I wanted to get my trainer’s license, so I did that.

“I have always looked up to my dad and my brothers, so to be part of this world is very meaningful to me. I love it.”

When he isn’t part of the racing action, Carson is never far removed from it.

Nights off are typically spent in front of the television, tuning in to catch races from across North America.

“A lot of my life revolves around racing,” he said. “In my free time, I enjoy watching racing. I like watching a lot of the Ontario tracks, like Mohawk and Western Fair. I like The Meadowlands too.”

Those moments, along with his time in the race bike, are reminders, pleasant ones, of the choice Carson made not so long ago.

His focus these days is on the road ahead.

“I decided that I didn’t want to give up on that note after the spill,” Carson said. “It took a little bit of time to reach that decision, but it was the right one. I feel there are a lot of good days yet to come.”