Canada’s four-time Driver of the Year James MacDonald on whether establishing a U.S. vs. Canada event like hockey’s 4 Nations Face-Off could work in harness racing.

by Brett Sturman

This past Saturday (Feb. 15), essentially what was meant as an exhibition hockey game caught mainstream attention in both the United States and Canada. The 4 Nations Face-Offis designed as an alternative to the traditional NHL all-star tournament. But, a politically charged atmosphere in Montreal carried over into the start of the game where three separate fights were launched in the first nine seconds of the game. The raucous crowd and fans on both sides of the border, mutually appreciated the spirit and national pride shown all around.

It immediately got me thinking. Could a similar dynamic be employed in harness racing? Of course, not from the standpoint of altercations on the track, but from the heated competitive spirit that comes with representing a country. There are harness racing parallels to hockey, where drivers based in the U.S. and Canada already compete against one another throughout the year just as they do in hockey, but how much does nationality come into play?

I posed the topic to driver James MacDonald, who is fresh off a fourth straight Keith Waples Driver of the Year award in Canada, awarded just last week at the O’Brien Awards in Toronto. He also won the World Driving Championship in 2017 representing Canada.

“I don’t see it too much as a rivalry between countries, because it’s still more individual and not really U.S. versus Canada,” said MacDonald. “I think though on the bigger nights you’ll have obviously the Canadian drivers cheering here a little more maybe for the other Canadian drivers. I think the same could be said for the American drivers down there when their big nights are on – probably cheering naturally for the guys they’re closer with.”

Likewise, for the most part, MacDonald didn’t feel that there’s a difference in treatment or an advantage when driving at a home venue versus someplace else.

“Not a lot,” said MacDonald. “All these guys like Dexter Dunn, Tim Tetrick, Gingras and the best drivers from the States – they’re going to be good wherever they go and race at and the same can be said for the best from Canada like Doug McNair, Jody Jamieson or Louis Roy or many others.

“Now when I was younger, I’d say that I would have felt a lot more pressure driving at The Meadowlands, maybe not knowing the guys a lot back then. But over the last few years as I’ve gotten to know quite a number of the guys well — both Americans and Canadians — now I can just go about racing at The Meadowlands like I’m racing at Mohawk. But when I was younger and I was lining up behind John Campbell and Ron Pierce… as a younger guy, obviously it’s didn’t feel like a normal race to me. But nowadays I can line up besides Yannick or David Miller or any of the best American drivers — Timmy or Dex or those guys — and just feel like I’m not so much worried what they’re going to do, but more focused on what my own horse needs and how I’m going to drive him accordingly.”

That said, MacDonald does see the potential for more direct competition between the two countries.

“I know there’s been some talk over the years of trying to do a U.S. and Canada driver challenge – which I think would probably help to amp up the jabs and trash talking,” said MacDonald. “We’re all human beings and I think in that type of competition you’ll seeing Canadians cheering harder for Canadians and Americans cheering harder for Americans. I think you’d see a lot of hard racing between the two countries, and I really hope that one day they do it. But for right now, it’s still more of an individual game and not quite like Team Canada versus Team USA.”

Indeed, as MacDonald notes, a drivers challenge between the U.S. and Canada could be a huge event for galvanizing both the U.S. and Canadian fan bases. It could carry far more interest than what traditional drivers challenges offer, and it would be of certain interest to see how it plays out on the track. I think it would be taken more seriously than most other driving exhibitions.

Through the years there’s been some great Canadian-based horses that have come to the U.S. and have won on the biggest stages. Ones that come to mind of course are Bulldog Hanover, Somebeachsomewhere, and San Pail, who won on U.S. soil at The Meadowlands in the Nat Ray before defending home turf later that year back at Woodbine in the Breeders Crown.

If competition were expanded beyond the equine athletes to the human ones, it could be something that quickly gains popularity and in turn, would gain new exposure for the sport. I think there would be real interest in areas surrounding the host tracks, where every year or every two years, the driving competition could rotate between The Meadowlands and Woodbine Mohawk Park.

To what extent prior talk of a potential U.S. and Canada drivers competition may have taken place, there’s no better time than now to make one happen. I’m sure hockey will look to capitalize on the renewed interest in competition between the two countries, and harness racing is uniquely positioned to do so as well with an idea that could absolutely work.

As a sidenote, I would have been remiss while speaking to MacDonald if I didn’t ask what his mindset is for the upcoming season. MacDonald is coming off a year where he won at least 400 races at Woodbine Mohawk Park for the third straight year. No other driver has won 400 races at WEG more than twice, ever.

“It’s been an unbelievable ride,” said MacDonald. “I’ve been blessed to get to drive some amazing horses, and owners and trainers to drive for. I’m just going to try and keep the ball rolling. My goal this year is the same as it’s been the last few years. Just to show up to the track with a good attitude and try and be consistent and give the horses their best opportunities. And if that translates to 400 wins, or not even close to 400 wins, I can still sleep good at night.”