by Chris Lomon

The game plan Aaron Mason has crafted for his racing career is very much like his approach to horses.

There is little, if any chance at all, that the young Manitoba horseman will ever get too far ahead of himself.

Instead, Mason, who hails from Killarney, population around 2,500, is measured in his approach to the sport of standardbred racing.

“I think with this sport, you need to be patient to find success,” Mason said. “Whether that happens to be with the horses you train and care for, or how you develop your career, sometimes staying in the moment can be a huge help for what you want to achieve down the line.”

Mason, son of successful Manitoba husband and wife horsepeople Darryl and Sherri Mason, continues to adhere to that philosophy as he looks to broaden his horse racing horizons.

His ties to the sport date back to his early childhood days, times when he would spend hours at the racetrack or on it.

Aaron’s earliest recollections of horses and harness racing harken back to the moments he would, quite literally, go along for a ride with his father.

“One of the first things I can remember is sitting in the jog cart with my dad and my sister,” Aaron said. “I was 5. It was just fun being able to do that with my family and to feel that rush of sitting behind a horse.”

It didn’t occur to him then, but Aaron knew he was destined to have a life in harness racing.

And that was precisely what he wanted.

“I love it,” he said. “Being around it so much made you appreciate it even more.”

Lessons learned along the way were many.

“With my parents being so involved, you were able to take in so much,” said Aaron, who started training his first horse at the age of 12. “Whether it was them sharing some helpful advice or just watching what they did and how they did it, I always took something away from each day I was in the barn.

“The one thing, above all else, was work ethic. Putting in an honest day’s work was always the most important thing. They also spoke about having a positive attitude and to love what I was doing.”

By the time he sent out his first starter in 2023, Aaron was well prepared across the board.

That milestone moment came on July 15, 2023, at Miami, a half-mile oval in his home province, with B Special, a pacing mare he owned.

With his father driving, B Special, a daughter of Mystery Chase (AB), finished fourth in a time of 2:03.1.

The breakthrough success came on Sept. 16 at The Loop, a half-mile track in Winnipeg, the capital city of 849,000 people in Manitoba.

Darryl guided B Special to a quarter-length score in 2:01.3.

“That was such a great day,” Aaron said. “To get your first training win is special, but then to have it be a family thing made it even more memorable.”

The icing on the cake was the horse who delivered the win.

“She is an awesome mare,” Aaron said. “She is so easy to be around, very quiet. She has taught me a lot.”

B Special has also inspired Aaron to add another facet to his racing career.

“I wrote my driver’s test this summer and started my drives,” he said. “The racing season here in Manitoba is short, so I wouldn’t have had enough weekends to complete my drives for the test. I will finish those in the spring and hope I get it.”

For now, he will focus on training and advancing his horse racing education, in between his full-time job at a Heavy-Duty equipment company in his hometown.

“I have three horses, and they all teach something,” he said. “Each horse is different, and I am learning a lot from them.”

Aaron, Manitoba Standardbred Racing Industry’s rookie of the year in 2023, is also plotting a methodical career path for himself.

He is in no hurry to fast-track any aspect of what he does or what he is chasing.

“I would love to find a horse to put in the so-called big races,” he said. “My family runs a breeding farm, and I would like to take one of their young colts, make it my own, develop it and then see if I can get it to a higher racing level. I think the ideal number of horses I would like to train, as I start out, would be 10. I have raced that number with my family, and it has worked well. If it grows from there, that would be great, but I want to make sure I do it the right way.”

Just like Aaron, who is working to obtain his Level 2 Heavy-Duty Mechanic License, plans to do with the driving side of racing.

“I want to get my license, then start slow and work my way up,” he said.

It’s a blueprint that Aaron believes will be the foundation for future success.

An earnest dedication to all things racing won’t be an issue.

Nor will an organized schedule of his day.

“When I get home from work, I take half an hour for supper, then I head out to the barn to make sure all the stalls are clean, and the horses are jogged,” he said. “My mom and dad are helping me jog. We get done around 9 in the evening and then I am in for bed at 9:30. Then it’s up around 6:45 and 7 off to work again.”

Aaron does manage to find time to play the sport he has long enjoyed.

In the winter, when he isn’t at the shop, or the barn, he can be typically found at the local hockey arena.

“I enjoy playing hockey in the winter,” Aaron said. “On weekends, I get to go play hockey and have fun with my friends.”

While a career with his hometown NHL team, the Winnipeg Jets, is out of reach, carrying on his family’s rich legacy in Manitoba horse racing is very much attainable for the young horseman in the burgundy and grey driving colors.

“This year, I learned even more that things take patience,” he said. “You can’t rush a horse. You want to make sure you have them fully prepared, the right way, every time they race. It takes time to bring out the best in them.”