The best Christmas gift, at least an early one, that owner/trainer Brent MacGrath could have asked for came true when his Weigh The Odds received a favourable post position in one of two $25,000 Valedictory Stakes eliminations set for this Saturday evening at Woodbine Racetrack.

MacGrath, the man who campaigned the incomparable Somebeachsomewhere to superstardom, is hoping Weigh The Odds, a three-year-old son of Bettors Delight, can rebound from an off-key performance in his last race, an eighth-place effort on December 12 at Woodbine.

Getting Post 5 for his Valedictory elim certainly increased his chances at getting back into winning form.

“Well, I think I’ve been a good boy, so a nice post was just what I was hoping for,” said MacGrath, in reference to what his three-time winner from nine starts would benefit most from. “He’s the type of horse who likes to be in the mix early. We wanted him to be prominent early in his last start and it didn’t pan out. It was a brisk opening quarter (:25.4), a horse broke stride in front of him…it just didn’t go his way.”

Brent MacGrath

Talk about getting out of the gates in great fashion. This past Saturday marked the initial edition of the Somebeachsomewhere Stakes (previously called the Burlington Stakes) at Mohawk Racetrack. The Pepsi North America Cup prep race was renamed in honour of the harness rascing great Somebeachsomewhere, who was trained and co-owned by Brent MacGrath.

Somebeachsomewhere, Canada’s Horse of the Year in both 2007 and 2008, kicked off his outstanding three-year-old campaign with a tour de force victory in the Burlington in 2008.

A resident of Bible Hill, Nova Scotia, MacGrath was on hand this past Saturday for the winner’s circle festivities.

WEG’s media department had a chance to catch up with the veteran trainer. To watch the video interview with MacGrath, please click here.

Somebeachsomewhere trainer MacGrath buys son of legendary pacer

TRURO – He looks a lot like his father and Brent MacGrath is hoping Sepia Sands paces like him too.

The Truro resident bought the seven-month-old weanling son of legendary Somebeachsomewhere at the recent Harrisburg Sale in Pennsylvania for $32,000. When the trainer first laid eyes on Sepia Sands, it was almost like déjà vu.

“I really like the look of him. He looks a lot like ‘Beach,” MacGrath said. “His colour and his shoulders, he’s quite athletic looking.”

Don’t expect another miracle from Weigh the Odds, says trainer MacGrath

Common wisdom tells us it’s one of the most unlikely occurrences; something that happens only to the insanely lucky.

Some say Brent MacGrath had his windfall with Somebeachsomewhere, his legendary pacer that became arguably the greatest standardbred of all time with 20 wins in 21 starts and more than $3 million in earnings.

And the MacGraths would agree with those people.

Brent MacGrath pats his newest horse Weigh the Odds on the nose while taking the two-year-old colt for a walk recently at the barns at Truro Raceway. MacGrath, who trained world champion Somebeachsomewhere, is hoping Weigh the Odds can qualify to race in.

A two-by-four foot pencil drawing of the great Somebeachsomewhere was recently unveiled at co-owner and trainer Brent MacGrath’s place of business in Truro, N.S.

The fantastic sketch by artist Robb Scott shows ‘Beach’ flying through the air in a photograph taken by renowned photographer Dave Landry.

“It took two months and 150 hours to draw,” Scott said to the Truro Daily News. “It turned out amazing.”

The original will be displayed at Pye Chev Olds in Truro while prints will be on display at Toyota dealerships in both Truro and Amherst.

MacGrath was looking to capture harness racing’s 2008 Horse of the Year in some form or artwork and Scott, who also maintains the dealership’s website, wore down MacGrath and eventually sold him on a pencil sketch instead of a painting.

“I couldn’t be happier,” MacGrath told Truro Daily News. “He captured ‘Beach’ as the individual which was important to me.”

To read the full article in the Truro Daily News, click here. For more information on the Somebeachsomewhere print, click here.

For the second consecutive year, Brent MacGrath did not attend last week’s Little Brown Jug. Instead, he watched the American classic from the comfort of an easy chair in his Bible Hill, N.S., home.

A year ago he was the centre of much debate because he did not race three-year-old Somebeachsomewhere in the race and that decision continues to spur arguments on both sides, but not in MacGrath’s mind.

“Well Said (this year’s winner) was the best horse but there was nothing I saw in the race that made me think I should have taken Beach there last year,” said MacGrath, who is back in the role as partner and operations manager for two automobile dealerships in Nova Scotia.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Co-owner and trainer of Somebeachsomewhere, Brent MacGrath told Trot Insider today that a new website for the multiple world champion and horse of the year has been unveiled.

Fans will be able to relive past moments from the tremendous career of ‘Beach’ as well as keep up to date on any news pertaining to the current stallion and future Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Famer at somebeachsomewhere.ca.