Harness: The power of positive thinking is a vital catch-driver tool

This past Saturday's Hambletonian Day program found me thinking of the challenges drivers face on a day-to-day basis. Specifically this time around, the conditions changed radically throughout the day, yet many if not all the professional catch-drivers held their cool when the races were in progress.

On paper for handicappers, everything appears to become clear in black and white. Throw a heavy downpour into the mix as a race is about to start and you can throw that program out. What we saw on Saturday was just how talented and composed the driving colony can be whether going for $1 million in front of a national audience in heavy rain or appearing to be totally overmatched and prevailing nonetheless.

It was Mark MacDonald, the elder brother of current driving superstar James MacDonald, who caught my attention moments before he was set to drive just one mount on the 16-race card. Unlike past years, Mark hasn't found multiple opportunities like his younger brother to shine on the big stage. At the same time, approaching him before the Sam McKee Memorial it was refreshing to hear his views on the race and attitude in general. Perhaps it's this trait in a catch-driver that is most admirable. Despite an afternoon's work that offers but one opportunity on one of the longest shots in a race, MacDonald seemed eager for the challenge and rather optimistic, even if bettors weren't as enthused.

"I was here for one drive last night. We had the five-hole and we won," MacDonald said of Victor Laszlo, the Chapter Seven-sired colt he drove for trainer Ray Schnittker to victory in a division of the Muscle Hill. That Rocknroll Runa A would start from the same post position had MacDonald thinking there was a good luck charm out there that would pay off in the end.

"He's a fast horse," said MacDonald of the McKee 68-1 winner trained and owned by veteran Larry Stalbaum. "If we can work out a trip, he's got a shot."

It's easy to be cynical when a driver says all the right things with the horse's trainer within earshot, but MacDonald had the benefit of having driven the horse on multiple occasions and knew he could at least put Rocknroll Runa A in a spot to be successful in a major stakes event. Unlike the other drivers in the McKee, MacDonald would essentially be coming off the bench having no personal knowledge of how the track might be playing following seven previous races. MacDonald would have confidence that despite the odds determined by the bettors, only the driver truly knows what he's sitting behind when the race unfolds. Unlike bettors who review the numbers, MacDonald feels the power he's driving and reacts to the circumstances in real time.

As we've witnessed on numerous Hambletonian Days in the past, the quickest way to the winner's circle has often come from those drivers that stay as close to the pylons as possible while others fan out through the stretch looking for a different path to victory. The pylons can also be perilous, as was proven on multiple occasions on this year's Hambo Day card when quite often room did not exist, causing horses to veer off the course or into others. For MacDonald the seas parted at just the right time in the mile as pace-setting Ruthless Hanover had every reason to drift out following some intense fractions.

Though MacDonald had gotten Rocknroll Runa A off to a quick start, he was only able to secure a spot fourth on the rail through the blistering 25 4/5 first quarter. MacDonald may have had pace, but for Rocknroll Runa A to win the McKee he would still have to overpower the two horses with better trips that he was following. Scott Zeron had It's My Show in the pocket turning into the homestretch and that appeared to be the ideal place to be. The outer flow had not managed to move with vigor as Allywag Hanover's first-over attempt on the final turn came up predictably short and favored Abuckabett Hanover didn't get the ideal tow he'd received in previous winning stakes engagements. That opened the door to the inside rivals.

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Zeron had It's My Show primed for an 8-1 upset of his own early in the stretch.

"I was on fumes," said Zeron following the race. "All I was hoping for is that Andy [Miller driving Ruthless Hanover] would keep the rail shut off."

Zeron's hopes were dashed when MacDonald found the room he was looking for and darted through for the day's biggest upset and a perfect weekend with two wins from two drives in two stakes events at the Meadowlands.

"I just kept going left," said MacDonald with an ear-to-ear smile back in the paddock following the victory as he was embraced by his wife and young daughter.

There are those who would suggest MacDonald got lucky and to some degree that makes sense. On the other hand, you look at the job description of a catch-driver and it's hard to encompass what goes into the mind of a driver with just one mount and that a 68-1 theoretical outsider. You must block out all negativity and focus on the task, whether theoretically impossible or not. Mark MacDonald's attitude heading into the McKee was positive. His reactions were instinctive and his confidence that his horse would perform were realized in the final eighth of a mile.

As for the Hambletonian, a race I thought would go in 1:49 earlier in the program after witnessing MacDonald's younger brother James guiding Legendary Hanover to a 1:46 2/5 track record in the Cane Pace, the skies timed it perfectly to thwart any records. Unlike a night earlier when horrible weather sent the drivers back to the paddock for an extended rest, Saturday's post times were fixed, and no weather delays were in place. Thus, the elements could not be avoided, and although this would be the richest harness race of the year, it would not be contested in ideal conditions.

What struck me however is that the heavy rains hardly seemed to change anyone's driving strategy in the least, and the race was contested as if the track was dry and the sun was shining. To me that's a testament to how quickly the sport's top drivers react to the circumstances and how they can also keep their horses calm and engaged.

While Karl was the predictable favorite and the choice of many, including myself, to capture the Hambletonian, there was a moment on the final turn where it appeared what was ordained would not actually take place. When Bob McClure pushed Highland Kismet past pace-setter T C I on the final turn, Karl and Yannick Gingras appeared to lose touch with him. McClure was looking for his second Hambo crown, having won in 2019 with Forbidden Trade, and looked like he was about to pull off another upset.

Gingras was able to get Karl reengaged in mid-stretch, and the Tactical Landing-sired colt did get the job done. The time was far slower than the 1:49 I had predicted, and the 28 4/5 final quarter an indicator that the intense fractions had worn out most of the horses by the final 100 yards of the contest.

While Karl and his entourage enjoyed the winner's circle while being pelted by the rain, Hambletonian Society president John Campbell managed to keep his poise and focus under the worst of conditions in honoring the champions, a testament to years in the sulky through the best and worst of the elements.

Trainer Nancy Takter deserves much of the credit for her second straight Hambletonian victory, matching the achievements of her Hall of Fame father Jimmy. It was nice to see Jimmy earlier in the day coming off the track sitting behind Karl in one of his earlier warm-ups. Though semi-retired, the elder Takter's experience on these days is quite the asset to have in your corner.