For Brodie MacPhee absence made his heart for harness racing grow fonder

by Chris Lomon

Regardless of the result on the track, Brodie MacPhee always finds himself in a good place.

Over a career that has produced 824 wins, signature victories, and nearly equal measures of highs and lows, the horseman from Cornwall, PEI, has learned how to navigate the emotional swings that come with standardbred racing.

“There was no one I know of that had more highs and lows than I used to go through,” MacPhee said. “I think growing older helped with that quite a bit.”

His driving career started in 2005 on Prince Edward Island.

From a win standpoint, the son of respected horseman Brian MacPhee enjoyed his finest season in 2013, recording a career-best 115 victories from 639 starts while posting an impressive .300 UDRS. Among the highlights was teaming up with Ramblinglily to capture the Atlantic Breeders Crown for 3-year-old pacing fillies.

Having firmly established himself as one of the Maritimes’ top young drivers, Brodie appeared poised to reach even greater heights.

Instead, he stepped away from the sport.

In August 2014, he made the difficult decision to walk away from racing.

“My mother was sick and there were some personal things I needed to take care of, too,” Brodie said.

He took a full-time job as an electrical technician in the marine sector, a career that literally took him around the world.

Then, in 2020, he made another life-changing decision. After more than five years away, the globetrotting Brodie returned to the sulky.

There were plenty of questions. After such a lengthy absence, recapturing success was far from guaranteed.

Those doubts were erased on July 11, 2020, at Summerside Raceway.

In the 13th race of the day, Brodie guided 13-1 longshot Bugsy Maguire, a son of Bettors Delight, to a 2¼-length victory in the Governor’s Plate for trainer Wade Sorrie.

“I think that moment was special for a lot of reasons,” said Brodie of the 1:54.1 mile. “I came back a completely different person and to win that race meant so much.”

It was only the beginning.

In 2023, Brodie earned Chucker’s Trophies honors as Old Home Week’s top percentage driver.

Two years ago, he reached the 800-win milestone while also establishing a personal best with $316,225 in purse earnings.

Remarkably, he wasn’t aware he had accomplished either feat.

“To be honest, I didn’t know about 800 until this year,” he said. “But, for me, it is just a steppingstone to 1,000 wins. That has been a dream of mine and it has been for a long time. So, for a person who took the better part of six years [off]… that is the goal right now.”

Narrowing the list of horses that have left a lasting impression is nearly impossible.

“There are so many who come to mind,” Brodie said. “A family horse — my grandfather had the mare, bred the mare, and raised the horse — Pans O Silver turned out to be an acclaimed horse here on the East Coast. There are others, like Ramblinglily, All Turain, who ruled the free-for-all ranks here for a summer, and Charlie Mackie, who was one of the first really good horses I drove. Roscoes Child was all heart and beat horses he probably shouldn’t have. Honestly, there are so many, and each one taught me a lot. I am very fortunate to have driven a lot of very nice, very hard-trying horses. Hopefully, there are more to come.”

These days, Brodie’s life is as busy away from the racetrack as it is on it.

“I don’t spend as much time away from work as I probably should,” he said with a laugh. “We race three or four nights a week and I race a lot of young horses. I don’t race as many overnight horses anymore. That requires a lot of traveling around the Maritimes. Cape Breton is five hours from PEI one way and Woodstock is about five hours the other way. Over a week, you could find yourself on opposite ends of the Maritimes.

“I also have an Airbnb that I rent out in Charlottetown [PEI]. I like to keep busy. I enjoy golf, but I find it tricky to find the time to do that. I also referee hockey in the winter, so I enjoy that. I just don’t like to stay idle very long.”

In April of this year, Brodie added another venture, launching King Of Gutters. The business has grown to include two locations, with a business partner operating the Cape Breton branch while Brodie oversees the Charlottetown operation.

King Of Gutters has also been a boon to his racing career.

“Owning a business has also helped me develop skills to deal with the highs and lows that life gives you, whether that’s through work, life or on the racetrack,” Brodie said.

Less than 180 wins away from the 1,000 he has long dreamt of reaching, Brodie will chase that goal with an equal measure of contentment and determination.

Six years after his return to the racing scene, he finds himself in a good place, perhaps more than he has ever known.

And for that, he is deeply grateful.

“The change, mentally, and just growing up as a person, brought me back to something I love and as a much better human being,” he said.