Heather Wright/The Independent

Brian Bell hasn’t won on Father’s Day since 2021. But the Petrolia-born jockey pulled off one of the biggest wins of his career on this year Father’s Day becoming the first Canadian jockey to reach 800 wins.

Bell is a quarter horse jockey; he calls it the drag racing of horses – straight down the track. Bell has been a quarter horse jockey for the 27 years. 

Bell’s love of horses started in Grade 11 at LCCVI when his dad, Dave Bell, introduced him to Murray Schwartz. That led to a equine vet coop program with Schwartz and Cathy Cofell. While he was in the program, he realized he wanted to be on top of the horses, not looking inside them.

Over the years there were people along the way who helped him become a quarter horse rider.  Most of his career has been racing on 110 to 440 yard tracks in Ontario; about 90 per cent of his wins are on Canadian soil including number 800 at Ajax Downs.

“It was Father’s Day Sunday, which is funny; in the last three years I have not won a race on a Father’s Day.” Bell had three “hot-shot winners” to ride that day; two balked at the gate and were pulled from their races.

It came down to the very last race of the day. He mounted Marilyn Magic, a horse he’d won three times on, “sure enough, we came out of the gates and halfway down, she just exploded and we got the win. But it came down to the very last race on Father’s Day.”

Bell says it was nice to “get the monkey off his back” marking the 800th win. 

“It’s just been amazing. It’s an amazing ride,” he said of the win. And it’s clear Bell loves what he does.

“It’s the thrill, it’s the speed. And I love the horses,” he says. “All it takes is one big horse to put yourself on a map.

“It’s been a ride, you know, being able to do what I’ve done, and accomplish and being the best in Canada.”