TORONTO, December 2, 2025 – Woodbine is profiling horses who have had a life-changing impact on their closest connections. In this edition, up-and-coming driver Damian MacLellan teams with Kennairn Fame – a horse he never had the chance to drive, but who taught him more about being a horseman than any he’s ever known. MacLellan and his brother Donald purchased the now 16-year-old bay in 2016. Kennairn Fame Foaled: April 3, 2009 Sire: Apaches Fame Dam: Across The Sky Wins-Seconds-Thirds: 32-30-32 Earnings: $68,100 Trainer: Donald MacLellan Owner: Donald MacLellan & Damian MacLellan Breeder: Kennairn Stables Describe his personality on and off the track. “He was a pretty nice horse to be around. He didn’t really do anything wrong. He was always a happy-going horse. Anybody could do anything with him, he was really quiet and chill. There was a time when some kids, maybe 10-12 years old, came up to the barn and they would brush him, and he wouldn’t move around on the cross ties. “He was really laid-back horse. He took to things easy and wasn’t really hard himself. “On the track he knew what his job was. As soon as the wings folded, he knew it was game time. He showed a lot of grit and determination.” What race of his do you remember most and why? “In 2017, he won a division of the World Driving Championship with Dexter Dunn, which was pretty cool. I think that was Dexter’s first win in Canada as a driver, so that really stands out, too. “This was before Dexter made his move to North America, so he wasn’t as known here. I had heard his name before and that he was one of the best drivers in New Zealand, and it was really exciting to see him in the winner’s circle with friends and family there too. It was during Charlottetown’s Old Home Week, so there was a big crowd on hand that night. “I think he’s the best driver in North America, maybe even the world, and to say he drove my horse in the World Driving Championship, and won, is unbelievable.” What was the biggest lesson Kennairn Fame taught you as a young horseman? “Obviously I still had support from different people helping me out along the way, but he was the first horse where I did things on my own, got to make decisions, learn after mistakes and different types of lessons that I got to learn from him. There were so many lessons that he, basically, is the horse that started my horse career. “He’s the horse that turned the tables for me and got me going in this industry. I could name off 10 different things that I’ve learned from him, the most obvious being horsemanship. I got to learn how to take proper care, put in the work, and see results. “When you send a horse out on the track that you’ve worked hard on and put a lot of time and effort into, it makes you feel good about yourself when they show up on the track. “It makes you feel like you’re doing something right.” Three words to describe him? “Tough. Determined. Relaxed.” How has he changed your life? “He’s the horse that really got me started in the industry. I think if I had had a horse other than him that I started out on, I don’t think I would have fell in love with the sport as much as I did because no matter what happened you knew he tried hard and if you tried hard on him, he always returned the favor on the racetrack and showed that he appreciated the hard work. “I don’t want to say that if I didn’t have him, I wouldn’t be in this game right now, but I truly do think that I stayed in this industry because of him. “I’m in the midst of starting a career and, hopefully moving forward, moving up in the ranks, I have to give the thanks to him. “We still own him. We retired him. He’s living out his days in a field in Cape Breton with one of my friends. He’s still part of the family and still part of the stable back home. He played a big role in my career, for sure.” Matthew Lomon, for Woodbine Mohawk Park Share This:Share
