The father and son recorded 1,000- and 2,000-win milestones, respectively, at the beginning of April.

by Matthew Lomon

Go about your business the right way and the wins will follow. Keep up the good work, and a major milestone may be within reach before you know it.

That was the story for father-and-son, trainer-and-driver duo Ron and Brett MacDonald, who each clinched landmark victories inside a six-day stretch at the beginning of April.

“He never really mentioned much about getting to 1,000 [wins],” said Brett of his father. “Then one day we happened to look, and we were both 10 away from 1,000 and 2,000.”

Brett, who began his professional driving career at age 18, got the ball rolling when he piloted his 2,000th career winner, family favorite pacer Saulsbrook Victor, to a 2½-length score in race 10 at Oak Grove Racing, Gaming and Hotel on April 7.

The 28-year-old Freelton, ON-based reinsman landed at the southwestern Kentucky oval sitting on 1,999 career tallies after finding the winner’s circle with 5-year-old mare Firstofanera the night before at Flamboro Downs.

The daughter of JK Endofanera—Do Me First was one of six drives, and the lone victor, for Brett that Sunday at Flamboro.

Fortunately, the breakthrough moment was only put on hold for one day.

“It was very special to get it with [Saulsbrook] Victor,” said Brett. “I thought I was going to get it that night at Flamboro. I had a bunch of shots, and came close a few times, but then our own mare won the last race on the card.

“The next night, ‘Victor’ had drawn well, and I figured that he’d be the one I’d get it with.”

A flurry of congratulatory texts and phone calls soon followed, and so too did a dinner with dad, who trains both horses responsible for Brett’s penultimate and milestone triumphs.

Saulsbrook Victor, in particular, has been a revelation for Brett and Ron since they added him to their stable in the fall of 2021.

“We ended up buying him late in his 3-year-old year; he had never raced,” said Brett. “We had a bunch out of that family, and that’s why we decided to take a chance on him.

“He’s just been a godsend since then. Every time you try to help him, he always gives you back tenfold. Anything you do to help him, he always gets better.”

Over his four-year career, the resolute son of Source of Pride—Atlanta Girl has amassed a 32-27-14 line with nearly $715,000 banked across 120 starts.

It’s an upward trajectory his owners never could have envisioned.

“We always knew that he had speed and ability and other positive attributes, but he could never really put it all together early on,” said Brett. “Then, he kept getting better and better.

“When we first started going with him, if he had been an okay dummy claimer, we would have been fine with that too. But for him to turn out to be the horse that he is today is outstanding.”

Saulsbrook Victor has opened countless doors for the father-and-son team, particularly for Ron, who Brett said has been able to explore exciting racing opportunities around Ontario and the United States.

“Since we started competing together the operation has definitely grown,” said Brett. “Dad’s gone traveling with Victor; he never would have been able to spend time in the States and do stuff like that with him before.

“I would say that growth is more about the opportunities that Victor gave us. Not so much him and I, but the opportunities that having a horse like Victor can give you.”

While the prized bay wasn’t directly involved in Ron’s big night, Brett was.

Less than one week after his son tracked down his milestone, Ron secured his moment in the spotlight on April 13 at Flamboro.

Heading into race 8, 0-for-3 on the night, Ron sent out 3-year-old filly Momas On A Roll with Brett at the helm.

Lined up in post 7, the pacer out of Big Jim—Sayso Hanover rode a perfect pocket trip before surging up the inside to steer clear by a head for Ron’s 1,000^th win.

“It was exciting to get it right around the same time,” said Brett. “That was special.”

The standout showing was the latest in a long line of impressive outings from Ron-trained racers.

The elder MacDonald put together a career year in 2024, collecting over $858,000 in prize money. His 74 winners ranked second only to his 2019 total of 80.

Last season was Ron’s first exceeding $700,000 in earnings.

The 57-year-old conditioner has shown no signs of slowing down in 2025, either. Through 129 starts this season, Ron has coached his charges to a 20-17-11 record for north of $235,000 in purse money.

His expertise on and off the track has been immensely valuable for Brett, whose recent success has earned him household name status across the Ontario circuit.

Through it all, the winner of 1,391 races and counting since 2020, including a career-best 328-win 2022, still recalls the words of wisdom his father offered during his years as a neophyte driver.

“When I first started driving, he told me, ‘Just drive them for checks and wins will come,’” said Brett. “That’s the biggest piece of advice that he ever gave. With horses that were a little bit longer shots, drive them for checks, and then a lot of the time you get lucky, and they’ll win.

“It’s different when you’re driving favorites, but at that time, when I first got my license, I wasn’t driving a lot of favorites. That was the advice that he gave me. Just take your time.”

His father’s words have since proven worth their weight in gold, and wins, over 2,000 of them.

After celebrating his first thousand on Aug. 9, 2021, Brett, having lived how it felt to realize one momentous milestone, found the chase for the next thousand even more enjoyable.

“My natural goal is to win as many races as I can, and then you’re trying to achieve a milestone on top of that,” said Brett. “There was a sense of relief when it was done, but it was also fun leading up to it.

“I wasn’t doing anything different in the lead up, but it definitely felt good once I got it. The next 1,000 went a lot quicker than the first 1,000.”

While it’s still too early to tell if the third 1,000 will fly by even quicker than the second, one thing for sure is that Brett is ready to find out.

“I don’t plan on slowing down at all,” he said. “We’re going to keep rocking and trying to win as many races as possible.”