Heather Pickett has a dependable Drinkin Buddy

by Matthew Lomon

Whether in the barn or behind the starting gate, an uncomplicated horse is every owner’s dream.

For the last seven years, Drinkin Buddy has been just that for Heather Pickett and her husband Rick.

“He’s just an honest horse that tries hard all the time,” Heather said. “When you go to race him, he never really disappoints you. He gives what he can and if that’s all he has today, then that’s fine. I know he’s done the best job he’s able to do.”

Heather’s unwavering confidence in the lionhearted horse named after Canadian country music star Gord Bamford’s 2007 hit has always been there.

Having brought Drinkin Buddy into the world, she foresaw a future others believed wasn’t possible with a Your Nemesis—Zip Car pedigree.

“I bought Zip Car in 2010 when they still had the standardbred sales [Canadian Yearling Sale] at Flamboro,” Heather said. “At the sale, they said, ‘Does nobody want this filly?’ So, I put up my hand and I got her for $1,000. After that, some people said, ‘Oh, you’re the one that bought that little horse?’ This was back when I just started training, and I was taken aback by that a little bit.

“She started late in her 2-year-old year, and made a few starts; 3 was wishy-washy. She was second in the [2013] City of London, and then went on to be a preferred mare for five or six years for me. She had a heart of gold. That horse tried every lick, so I decided to keep her and breed her because she was my first baby that I’d ever purchased.”

Zip Car, who went on to earn $152,448 across 98 career starts for Heather, was initially bred to Sunshine Beach.

Unfortunately, she, like three of the other mares she was stabled with, lost her first foal due to complications caused by a virus.

Once cleared, Heather moved Zip Car to the home of Stephen and Marilyn Gillard, the longtime horsepeople who owned Your Nemesis.

“I had a racehorse for them, so they had my broodmares for me,” Heather said. “They stood Your Nemesis right there, and it was a live cover breeding, and an affordable breeding, and that’s basically why we chose that combination because she was stabled right at their home farm.”

Drinkin Buddy was born in the spring of 2019.

From the beginning, there was no mistaking that he was his mother’s son.

“He was always a friendly horse,” Heather said. “He was just a little bit nervous at the start. He started late in his 2-year-old year and didn’t put it together right away but did get qualified and raced a couple of times.”

An abbreviated rookie campaign was of no concern to Heather, as she had already traversed the same path with Zip Car.

The one notable difference, however, was that Drinkin Buddy’s rookie campaign featured a trip to the winner’s circle.

That hard-earned victory by a neck on Nov. 22, 2021 at The Raceway at Western Fair District remains a distinct source of pride for Heather.

“Taking your little baby that you’ve seen from day one and getting it to the races and actually winning is a great feeling,” she said. “That’s probably my favorite thing with training the racehorses.”

While Drinkin Buddy’s 3-year-old campaign was also cut short — this time by a viral infection — the plucky bay pacer worked tirelessly to find his form.

From the Picketts’ perspective, that involved taking a risk, similar to one that cost them Drinkin Buddy’s full brother, Just Ask Joe, last February.

“We ended up at one point trying to gain his confidence, and to me, it’s hard to put a horse in a claimer, which is what ended up happening to Joe,” Heather said. “It stinks because somebody can buy them from you and you’re taking that risk.”

In this instance, the gamble paid off.

“Being a Your Nemesis, I thought we were a little safer,” she said. “We put him in a 10 claimer for non-winners of $25,000 or $30,000 at that point, and he was a really good fourth. Then he won and we put him up to the 20s and he just kept getting better and better when he was bigger and stronger.”

Allowing Drinkin Buddy, a taller horse, time to grow into his body was key in his development between ages 2, 3, and beyond.

“It’s nice to see them actually grow into the horse that they’re supposed to be and stay sound and solid year after year,” Heather said.

As Heather expected, Drinkin Buddy has only improved with age.

After years touring the Ontario grassroots circuit, the resolute racehorse worked his way up to a Mohawk regular.

Getting on the board at Canada’s premier harness racing venue took some time, but the memories from that first — and second triumph — were certainly worth the wait.

“The week James [MacDonald] won with him, he got his whip tangled up behind the gate and dropped it,” Heather said. “He said he didn’t know what was going to happen, but he ended up winning for fun without a whip for the whole race.”

It was a 3½-length win on July 19, 2025.

“The next week, James was away for another engagement, and Billy Davis, Jr., drove him,” Heather said. “I said to him, ‘Just so you know, James lost his whip, but the horse actually does better without a whip.’ Billy’s response was, ‘Yeah, I know. It was me that he hooked whips with, I lost mine too.’ We both laughed and then he went out and won that Pop Up Series final.”

At the time of publishing, Drinkin Buddy has made 146 starts, all for the Picketts, and earned north of $224,000.

Over that time, he has not only exceeded all expectations set by his pedigree but emerged as the heart and soul of the Picketts’ operation.

“Other than his viral infection, he’s been very, very easy to maintain, which is extremely impressive for a horse that’s raced that many times and at his age,” Heather said.

He’s dependable, he’s reliable, he’s a good friend the Picketts can always lean on – he’s their Drinkin Buddy.

“It means the world; it’s a great feeling,” Heather said. “He’ll have a home for life, that’s for sure.”