| Callie's interview
|
| |
| How did you become involved in harness
racing? |
| I was born into a harness racing family in North Sydney, Nova
Scotia. My father, Donald Rankin, was a harness trainer. At 7 years old, I started jogging horses and cleaning out stalls.
When I was 10, I started to do "true" horse training. One day, when I was 14 years old, I got a strange driving
opportunity: My brother couldn't make it one day to do a scheduled drive
of his at Inverness Raceway...so the trainer asked me to fill in for my
brother that day . I jumped on the opportunity and ended up getting my
first driving experience...no one ever knew it was me, and not my
brother that day! At 16, I received my trainer's license and started
training/driving horses as a full-time job at Tartan Downs (in those
days it was known as Cape Breton Sports Centre). |
| Tell us about how your career has evolved
since? |
| At 17, I took a blacksmith course in Zenia, Ohio. Here is the (back and forth) path my career has taken since
receiving my blacksmith certificate: 1st, upon my return to Nova Scotia,
I returned to racing horses at Sackville Downs. After some years at
Sackville, I eventually moved back to Tartan Downs. From there, I moved
on to do racing in the USA at Foxboro Raceway, in Foxboro,
Massachusetts. After my Foxboro experience, I moved back to Canada, but
this time to New Brunswick. After some time spent racing in new
Brunswick, I returned home (again) to race in North Sydney. Finally, in 1984, I decided to move to Ontario, where I found my
racing home at flamboro downs. |
| What are your views on driving versus
training? |
| I enjoy doing both because I am aware of all the aspects of the
horse's condition. Training does give me a bit more of a challenge. Driving the horses which I train gives me the knowledge of the
horse's ability and capability. |
| What is a typical work-day? |
| I usually wake between 07:00 and 07:30. Then I jog, train, and groom 20 horses. I shoe one or two in the afternoon. I race at Flamboro for the afternoon cards. I return home to feed the horses and usually finish by 20:00.
|
| How do you attract new owners to your stable?
|
| Currently I have very good owners with whom I have been able to
establish concrete relationships. It is extremely important to be honest. I also inform my owners in advance about all expected costs.
|
| What do you do to break in a new owner?
|
| I teach them the overall business including classes and purses
etc. I explain the overall routine on the operation of a stable. I listen to their concerns and expectations. I emphasize that there are always ups and downs in the business.
|
| In what type of horse do you specialize?
|
| I enjoy horses that offer a challenge. Because of my blacksmith ability, I can usually help horses with
bad feet. I prefer Flamboro Downs circuit horses. |
| What steps have you taken to achieve your
goals? |
| I left home at 17 and moved to Zenia, Ohio where I took a
blacksmith course. I have raced at different tracks including Sydney, New Brunswick,
Foxboro and Truro. I learned from my father and siblings about the racing industry.
I moved to Ontario in 1984 and established a career at Flamboro
Downs. |
| What are your career highlights/milestones?
|
- Winning 7 races on one card; 6 were trained by me and 6 took
lifetime marks.
- Winning the Breeders Crown with Line One
- Winning 260 races in one year where I trained 240 of them
- Driver and Trainer of-the-year at Flamboro Downs for 11 years in
a row
- Owned, trained and drove the aged trotting mare Keystone Hildene
at Flamboro |
| What are your thoughts on where the industry
is heading with the new gaming opportunities at all Ontario
tracks? |
| The industry is on an upwards growth slope. The slots money has resulted in an increase in purses. There is more money circulating for investing in horses.
|
| Any final thoughts? |
| New owners are always welcome to discuss the harness racing
business with me. |
