by Victoria Howard
When it came time for Grand River Raceway in Elora, Ontario to select a new racing director, they couldn’t have chosen a more qualified woman than Jenna MacDonell. Grand River Raceway opened 20 years ago and is one of the few harness racing tracks in the area that is still going strong.
The venue is an entertainment, racing and gambling destination that, in addition to horse racing, also offers over 230 slot machines at Elements Casino for those who want to try their luck on the one-armed bandits.
Offering seasonal live racing (in the summer), simulcasts of racing from across North America year-round, and many other special events, the track is the ultimate destination for live horse racing and fans from all walks of life.
Being a manager is not easy. The most important thing a race manager has to do is make sure everything (from the races to the backend) runs smoothly. So running a race track is very important, but also difficult. In other words, overseeing and managing racing is actually quite a lot.
When fourth-generation harness racer Jenna MacDonell was appointed to the position, she said she was thrilled and honored.
Born in Mississauga, Ontario, little MacDonell spent most of her childhood at the barn, where her family lived on a hobby farm with a few broodmares. She would go to the barn and help her grandfather whenever she could, and when he raced his horses in the evenings, she would accompany him to Kawartha Downs in Peterborough, Ontario.
Racing Standardbreds was nothing new for MacDonell, as her father, Paul MacDonell, is a driver who is in the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. In fact, both of her grandfathers owned and trained racehorses, and her great-grandfather, Angus J. MacDonell, raced horses himself in Nova Scotia in the 1920s and 1930s.
“I’ve been obsessed with this sport since I was born,” said Jenna. “As a teenager, I worked as a groom for some well-known trainers like Tony O’Sullivan and Ben Wallace. While I was in college, I got a job in the customer service department at Mohawk.”
“I am very excited about the changes that have been made here, as over the winter the track at Grand River was widened from half a mile to five-eighths of a mile by renowned developer Greg Coon.
Our flagship races – the Battle of Waterloo and the Battle of the Belles – took place on August 5th. It was so exciting to see the two-year-old Ontario-sired colts and mares on the new, improved track.”
In addition to her responsibility for managing the races at Grand River, MacDonell has another very important and arduous job: she is a single mother.
Raising a child as a single mother is hard enough these days, but juggling it with a full-time job can be extremely difficult.
“It’s hard, but luckily I get a lot of help from my family,” she said. “My parents and my sisters live nearby, so my son Griffin is in the best hands when I’m not with him.”
“I also work as a real estate agent outside of the racing season, so I’m on the road a lot. So I’m very happy to have my family around.
Jenna said everyone in Grand River is really looking forward to some fast racing because of the new track size.
“The response to the racetrack expansion has been overwhelmingly positive and everyone seems to love it,” she said. “Our goal is to create an amazing map and show everyone how much fun racing can be. The Grand River team is amazing and keeps new people coming to the racetrack. We host some pretty amazing patio parties and always try to give customers a great first experience so they come back.
“We want to show fans how much fun a night at the races can be for all the family. Marketing to the general public is essential and our job is to educate them about the horses and sometimes even offer paddock tours, giving them a little behind-the-scenes look at what they love.
“When people come into the paddock and see the grooms caring for the horses, they are usually completely blown away. I think it really opens the eyes of the average person to how exciting our sport is!”
When asked why our sport seems to be in decline, Jenna has a clear answer.
“We have a fantastic sport, but many people just don’t know about it,” she said. “It can be a great experience for young and old. My job is to introduce them to the sport with the help of my team and give them one of the best evenings of their lives.”
