Jody Jamieson revels in unifying wins of the two great harness racing spectacles

by Brett Sturman 

All the top drivers in harness racing are accustomed to winning lots of high-quality races with substantial race purses. But for most of those instances, a similar scenario plays out. They win, make a quick trip to the winner’s circle in front of nearly-empty grandstands, move onto the next race, and repeat. Not that there’s anything wrong with that if you’re a driver, but there are races where a driver wins, and others that a driver experiences, and Jody Jamieson has had an exceptionally unique kind of year.

With his win last week in the Little Brown Jug at the Delaware County Fair in Ohio with Ontario-based supplemental entry Redland Rocket Man to go with his win one a month ago in the Gold Cup & Saucer at Charlottetown Driving Park on Prince Edward Island with Fifth And Five, the veteran Canadian driver swept two of the most storied races in harness racing. Those two races share something that has become nearly extinct elsewhere across the sport: massive, wall-to-wall crowds.

“I’ve got to tell you that to win those races in front of those crowds, it’s f – – – ing unreal,” said Jamieson. “I can’t even tell you any other way. It’s that unreal.

“I’ve been to all the races, and the only place I can think of that even comes close in terms of the fandom is the Elitlopp. So, for me to win both the Gold Cup & Saucer and the Little Brown Jug this year, and at the same time, sort of, have my way with all those fans – it’s hard for me to put into words.”

Relaying the uniqueness of the two events, Jamieson said, “There’s just no comparison to the crowds you would get at other tracks even on the biggest days. There’s no comparison. At the Gold Cup & Saucer, I’m sure you’ve seen the pictures. There’s standing room only on the tarmac, all down the stretch and halfway around the first turn. And then on the last turn the crowds are five, six deep against the fence and it’s unbelievable. You just don’t get that anywhere else other than Delaware, OH and Charlottetown, PEI. Those really are the only two races that we race in front of those huge crowds.”

For Jamieson — a Maritime native — winning this year’s Gold Cup & Saucer — a race to the locals that holds near mythical status — wasn’t just another career achievement but more-so the realization of a lifelong dream.

“Some people might have a hard time understanding how special it is, but I think if you’re a Maritime kid or a Canadian kid and maybe even a little if you’re a North American kid, I think you’re starting to realize how much of a dream it is to one day win the Gold Cup & Saucer,” he said. “It’s to the Maritimes and Canada what the Little Brown Jug is to the U.S.”

Jamieson isn’t the only driver to win both the Gold Cup & Saucer and the Little Brown Jug throughout their careers, but he is the first to accomplish the feat in the same season. In a way, the feat was a transcendent moment for racing.

“I don’t know if this is overkill or a little bit overstated, but I almost feel as if I’ve sort of united two of the greatest spectacles in harness racing,” Jamieson said. “These races are the common denominator in that every time we go to the Jug there are people there from Charlottetown and from PEI and the Maritimes, or others from all over the world saying how they need to get to that race in East Canada. And then when you go to the Gold Cup it’s the same thing; a crossover of fans talking about making it to the Jug one year.

“I’ve won both races now, so I feel that I’ve sort of bridged the gap between them. And how lucky am I to not only win those races but to experience that fandom. I’m obviously proud of that, but also ecstatic for being able to share it with all those people that were there.”

While other races elsewhere throughout the stakes calendar may offer higher purse money, the atmosphere at these two races is second to none in garnering unrivaled excitement for the race participants. It’s an experience that’s only offered now a couple of times a year.

“I can only speak for myself although I feel like I could speak for all the top drivers that travel all over the place, when I say that we get more jacked up at those races,” Jamieson said. “That’s why those guys like Dex [Dunn], Yannick [Gingras], Andy [McCarthy], Toddy [McCarthy], Scott Zeron, myself, and others – that’s why we go to those races. These guys – they know the meaning of it and they appreciate it. Nowhere else can you see true fans react to harness racing like that.”

In both the Gold Cup & Saucer and The Little Brown Jug this year, Jamieson not only won those races, but he felt each person there. Though moments like those today are rare, they should still serve as inspiration and perhaps a challenge to the industry to make those moments less rare.

“Racing in front of a crowd like that is the coolest thing we can do as a harness driver,” Jamieson said.