The Future Is Bright At Manitoba Harness: Paula Mason

 

While fans (when able) watch the race-day coverage at Miami Fair, they often miss or do not pay attention enough to see the trainers warming up their horses for races later in the day. Even to someone like me who watches the races live and in-person, I too can overlook those on the track at the time because I am too focused on the upcoming race. However, there is often more going on than at first meets the eye. If you have a chance, look out for purple and grey silks with a P and a M on the sleeves. That is the silks of our very own Manitoba trainer Paula Mason.

The 24-year-old Killarney native is excited to get the 2021 season going with her colt, Inside Joke. Mason was quite pleased with Inside Jokes qualifying time. “He was in with Open horses and he kind of got left behind. He was good until the quarter, then he lost interest, but he went good!” Although her age might suggest otherwise, Paula has been doing this for some time. She got her trainer license in 2012 and won Manitoba Harness Rookie of The Year in 2013. But the journey started even before then.  She is the daughter of long-time driver Darryl and trainer Sherri she has harness racing infused at the seams. “My parents raced 14 horses the day before I was born,” Paula told me in our interview. “I started jogging when I was 2, on my dad’s knee. I jogged my first horse on my own at 7 and my first training mile at 14. Then I got my trainer license at 16.”

Paula is looking forward to all the additions and possible changes coming to Manitoba Harness Racing. Her response to the upcoming Winnipeg and Saskatoon dates is, “The more venues we have, the better.” With the hope of being able to race more months of the year, this would give Paula and other trainers more funds to get more and better talented horses.”

As we all try to get to a “post-pandemic” life and with how the standardbred industry was already changing beforehand, it is time we start leaning on the younger generation. To have a young, talented trainer who already has two decades of experience in Manitoba is a great thing to have with all the changes coming up. The future continues to look bright here in the keystone province and with people like Paula doing what they do best, it is hard to imagine we will not continue to grow and become a center for Canadian harness racing. Make sure to catch Paula’s colt and all the other action this summer at Miami Fair on HPIBet.com. Post time is 3:00 p.m. central time, Saturdays starting June 26^th.