Article contentIndividually, MacQuarrie was the trainer of the year at Inverness Raceway in 2003 in the 20-40 starts category.Article contentTwo years later in 2005 with Cam Dena and Majesty in her stable, MacQuarrie was the trainer of the year in the 40-plus starts category. Cam Dena was the claimer of the year in 2003, while Majesty captured the same award in 2005.Article contentMacQuarrie’s son, Dougie, was the top driver of the year in 2005 in the 40-plus start category, posting a .428 Universal Driver Rating System.Article contentOver the years, MacQuarrie had the opportunity to train some successful horses including Yankee Apollo, Ace In Hand, and Kawanda Kid.Article content Mary MacQuarrie of Inverness has been involved in the harness racing community at Inverness Raceway for more than 60 years. She is a longtime trainer who still enjoys jogging horses when she can. CONTRIBUTEDArticle contentNEXT GENERATIONArticle contentToday, MacQuarrie is credited with inspiring the next generation of women in harness racing.Article contentDriver Monica Sutherland calls Inverness Raceway home, while Clare MacDonald also makes trips to the Cape Breton track on occasion. Off the track, Lily Watson and Melanie LeBlanc are involved in the training side of the sport at Inverness Raceway.Article contentArticle content“It’s nice to see more women involved in the sport,” said MacQuarrie. “I didn’t think of myself as someone who inspired others, but it’s good to know that I may have played in a role in their careers in harness racing.”Article contentMacQuarrie, who turns 90 years old in October, continued to train horses right up until two years ago. She continued to jog horses on a regular basis until last year.Article contentDespite her age, Copley wasn’t worried about her mother with the horses.Article content“We knew that was keeping her going,” said Copley. “As long as she had the horses, she was going to be around. It’s remarkable to think the way she got into it with my father’s accident.”Article content Seeing Mary MacQuarrie venturing through the back streets of Inverness to get to the Inverness Raceway for a training session is not something that was unusual. The 89-year-old MacQuarrie has been involved in the harness racing community for more than 60 years and is known for training and jogging horses. CONTRIBUTEDArticle content‘A LOT OF GOOD MEMORIES’Article contentWhile hip and back issues have forced MacQuarrie to take a step back from jogging horses, she hasn’t ruled out getting back in the sulky at some point this season.Article content“I’ve had a lot of good memories on the track, so it’s hard to pick just one memory,” said MacQuarrie. “I’d like to go for a ride this year and slowly get back into it, but we’ll see what happens.”Article contentArticle contentMacQuarrie still enjoys going to the racetrack and rarely misses a race date during the season. She also enjoys watching the career of her grandson, Jamie Copley, and is looking forward to seeing her great-grandchildren on the track racing in the years to come.Article contentOn the track on Wednesday night, Mando Fun, Eastwardho Fun, Dirty Bobby, Effie May Cay, Crosscut, Lady of Malice, Talk Some Smack, Shir Gain and Hugh Heff each earned victories at Inverness Raceway as part of the track’s annual Gathering Week event.Article contentHugh Heff won the feature race of the evening, while Lady of Malice took home the Phil Pinkney Memorial race for the two-year-old pacing fillies.Article contentHarness racing action is expected to resume on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m., in Inverness. The safest bet of the day will be that MacQuarrie and her family will be there supporting the local drivers and horses.Article content
Inverness horsewoman Mary MacQuarrie never let age stop her from training horses in Cape Breton
