Johnson enjoying life on Prince Edward Island

CHARLOTTETOWN, PEI — Harness racing trainer Colin Johnson and Debbie Element knew they would enjoy moving to the Garden of the Gulf from the biggest racing jurisdiction in the nation.

They didn’t realize how much.

Johnson, a former top trainer in Quebec and Ontario and multiple-winner of the training dash title for all of Canada, scaled his stable back to six horses and headed East in April 2021, leaving Central Canada in the rearview mirror. It’s a decision he doesn’t regret for a minute.

“I’ve raced at a lot of tracks, and it’s way better than I thought it would be,” the English-born Johnson said. “I knew it would be good, but this is beyond (expectations).

“The track is good, the race office has been really good, and the management has been so welcoming. The horse people have done nothing but wish us luck, too. It’s unbelievable.”

The couple paired up for a storied career in Canadian racing with over 3,500 wins and $30 million in purse earnings while competing at the top level wherever they went before settling into their new home in Village Green, P.E.I.

The couple had been to P.E.I. several times before, including winning the Gold Cup and Saucer in 2000 with Canaco Simon and 2002 with London Mews N.

“Every time we came, we loved it,” Element said. “We’ve been in big races before and nothing compared to winning the Gold Cup and Saucer.

“We expected we’d be a little bit of an outsider coming in here, but everyone has been so great with us, everybody. They’ve helped us out anyway they can, and it’s more than I expected for sure.”

Johnson got hooked on the excitement of Island racing during his Old Home Week trips. After years of operating a 60-to-70 horse stable, he scaled back in recent years with his sights set on coming to P.E.I.

Johnson and Element have two children, including daughter Courtney, who graduated college and moved to the Gaspe’. Courtney is teaching at the high school that her mother attended. Son Corey is an accomplished trainer in his own right with 575 training wins and $7.7 million in purse earnings in Ontario racing.

Cory will send out Evenwood Sonofagun in The Guardian Gold Cup and Saucer final on Aug 21.

“He saw us winning it two times before, and now he wants to do it for himself,” Johnson said of his son. “Hopefully, he has a contender and does well.”

Johnson said, of all the places where he has raced for much higher purses, he finds the Red Shores circuit as challenging as anywhere he has been. Johnson points out his enjoyment of the world-class broadcast team and passionate track announcer Vance Cameron.

“That’s one of the things that I got wrong,” Johnson said of the industry’s popularity on P.E.I. “I took some nice horses here, and I thought it would be a little easier racing than it is.

“My horses fit in, but I didn’t realize how tough it is here. You have a great driving colony here with eight or 10 guys that could drive anywhere in the world. That makes it even tougher. These guys are very competitive and drive hard, and the racing is very tough every race here.”

One thing the pair is adamant about is that they don’t plan on going anywhere anytime soon.

“We feel like we’re on vacation right now,” Element said.

Johnson agrees.

“We’re just really happy in P.E.I. at the moment,” Johnson said. “Even just to leave to get away for a few days hasn’t even crossed our minds. We’re loving it here so much.”

by Nicholas Oakes, for Red Shores