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Kenny and Linda MacLeod met because of harness racing and, after 27 years of marriage, the sport is still helping to keep the couple together.
The MacLeods, who met in 1981 at Liberty Bell Race Track in Philadelphia, are still both involved in harness racing at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. They now have a 22-year-old son, Kenny Jr., who is just getting his start in the business.
“We have one special thing in common,” said Linda. “We both have a great attachment to horses.”
Linda has worked at Pocono Downs for 25 years and is currently in charge of phone betting there. Kenny, who is employed at Sears, still trains their three-horse racing stable.
The horses are at their four-acre farm in Exeter for winter training. They will soon be moving to Pocono Downs when the backstretch opens for training later this month.
The MacLeods have three other standardbreds not in training that are turned out at a local farm. They include a mare named Lunar Magic, who is in foal to former pacing champion Gallo Blue Chip.
Kenny Jr. is a student at Luzerne County Community College, and is studying to become a respiratory therapist. He plans to work at Allied Services upon graduating this spring. He will join his sister, Kimberly, 27, who already works as a respiratory therapist there. But make no mistake. Harness racing is in his blood. During the racing season at Pocono Downs, Kenny Jr. helps his father train their horses for two hours each morning before attending classes at LCCC.
“I’ve been around horses since I was a little kid and have always wanted to drive,” said Kenny Jr., who already has obtained a qualifying license. “Once I get a regular license, I hope to drive some of our horses.”
The MacLeods’ most notable horse is Bobby Ray, a 10-year-old pacer, who has 11 lifetime wins and earnings of the $62,000. Their stable also includes Forbidden Art, a pacer owned by MacLeod and Liz Ingersoll, and a trotter named Man Of Few Words. All three are expected to race at Pocono Downs in 2009.
Bobby Ray is the family favorite.
“He’s the man,” said Kenny Sr. “He always tries. Sometimes he’s a little bit sore, but he has a big heart. We try to give back to him a little of what he’s given us.”
Kenny is a native of Croydon, and Linda is originally from Wilmington, Del. He is the son of a former harness trainer who raced at Pocono Downs in the mid-70s.
The couple met at — where else — a race track. It was in 1981 at Liberty Bell, where they were introduced through a mutual friend. They struck up a friendship and eventually began dating. They got married after just six months of courtship. Linda says it was a natural match, because she and her husband have laid-back personalities.
“We had a lot in common. Ken was very down to earth. For a horse person, he’s not on the wild side and never was.”
Kimberly is the only person in the family who is not directly involved with horses. However, according to her mother, she has a valid reason.
“She likes horses, but she’s allergic to them.”