by Chris Lomon

Darla MacEachern is not one to be bound by tedium.

For as long as she can remember, MacEachern, who hails from Prince Edward Island (PEI), has always steered clear of the mundane – whether in the standardbred barn or in any other aspect of her life.

“I’m a little OCD and like the barn work done a certain way,” MacEachern said with a laugh. “I enjoy that more than jogging. I get bored easily. But training… I love that!”

MacEachern has been training since 2020, during which she sent out 14 starters, earning two second-place finishes and three thirds. Her milestone first win came with W C Little Willie, a bay gelding she also owned. The win, which took place on May 24, 2021, at Summerside Raceway on PEI, marked a special moment in her career.

To date, while working full-time as a medical administrator, MacEachern has won seven races and recorded 30 top-three finishes from 78 career starts.

Her modest stable is operated with a modest personality and unalloyed love of horses.

That love for horses and her strong work ethic were nurtured during her formative years in Milo, a small community in eastern PEI.

“My father Dwane, who is my role model, had horses his whole life,” Darla said. “I don’t recall a time we never had any. He would jog on the side of the road and also swim them in the [Atlantic] ocean, so horses are definitely in my blood.

“I started out with ponies. Pat Murphy, a good family friend, brought one home for me. I got my first job at 13 and saved my money and bought my first horse and have owned them ever since.”

Several have left an indelible impression on Darla, a lengthy list that includes Life Savior.

A bay gelding by Life Sign out of Hannah Banana, Life Savior was originally purchased for $20,000 at the 2006 Lexington Select Yearling Sale. He went on to have a long and successful racing career.

“My father had about 15 horses at the time and Life Savior rolls into the barn for owner Kevin Macmillan – my dad didn’t tell me until he landed,” Darla said. “I looked at him and said, ‘Seriously?’ This horse had ankles on him the size of baseballs. My dad said that I could look after him and get the boarding money.”

The gawky-looking bay would be a home run for father and daughter and eventually find his own field of dreams.

“Later on, down the road, I ended up buying him myself,” she said. “He was 4 when we got him, and he had eight wins and eight seconds. He ended his racing career with 60 wins and 49 seconds from 277 lifetime starts. We retired him at 10. He’s now 20, living the field life with Sara, a donkey, at a beautiful farm just 15 minutes away from me.

“They say that you can’t keep them all. But he deserves a good retirement. I was fortunate enough to find a great home for him with retired vet Dave Thomas.”

Porthill Alf, a son of Largo (NB)—Island Perretti, bred by Marvyn Webster, was another standout pacer in Dwane’s stable.

“He raced in an invitational and won a Governor’s Plate elimination, back in 2007, with Gilles Barrieau driving,” Darla said. “He finished his career with 64 wins.”

Darla also has high praise for Goodmorning Nova, a pacing daughter of Arthur Blue Chip—Goodmorning Ky, who earned 2-Year-Old Filly of the Year honors on PEI.

“I guess you can say I’m more of a gelding kind of girl, but we also had the opportunity to train Goodmorning Nova,” she said. “A great friend and horseman, Frank Banks, raised her. Unfortunately, he got sick and passed away before she raced. He had asked my father to train her. We raced her for her 2-year-old season around the Maritimes. In 10 starts, she had six wins and banked $55,000. Those were special moments that I’ll never forget.”

Currently, Darla and her father have three horses training back. They also have a welcome part-time helping hand on race days.

“I currently own one of my horses with Kevin Macmillan, a longtime family friend and horseman,” Darla said. “His granddaughter, Zoey MacEachern; I can see the passion she has for horses. She’s my little sidekick on race days. I’ve been showing her the ropes. I can see a lot of myself in her. There is no task she won’t try, like myself.”

When the 2025 PEI racing season kicks off later this spring, Darla will once again be part of a vibrant racing scene in the province of just under 179,000 people.

“It’s very family oriented here in PEI,” she said. “No matter where you go, you always feel welcome. The friendships you build – you meet a lot of great people in this industry. Everyone is always willing to lend a hand.”

The main objective for her small operation is, as always, to enjoy racing experience.

“Our goal is to just have fun,” Darla said. “We hope all drivers and horses come off the track safe and sound. I have met a lot of great friends who have become more like family through the sport – I wish them all a great, safe racing season. Of course, we are always looking for more wins.”

Whether it happens this year or in the coming years, Darla is considering obtaining her driver’s license.

Finding the time to do it might be the biggest obstacle.

“My days start early at the barn, around five in the morning,” she said. “I get the horses jogged, trained, the stalls cleaned out, and get them in their stalls. Then I’m off to work — usually late depending how barn chores go — and on lunch break, the horses are fed. After that, it’s back to work, then back to the barn after work for supper chores and anything else that was left undone. So, it’s usually early nights.”

Darla’s recipe for relaxing after a busy day in both the office and barn is, on occasion, to raise a glass.

“I will unwind from a long day with the odd cold beer,” she said with a laugh.

Beer might be replaced by champagne, at least for one day, if Darla ever has the chance to race one of her horses at a well-known Ontario racetrack.

“I’ve been to Mohawk for the North America Cup, but unfortunately, it was during COVID, so things weren’t normal,” she said. “I definitely didn’t get the full experience, but I watch a lot of racing there and would like to race my horse there someday.”

It’s an exciting prospect for a horsewoman who has never been one to settle for boredom.