Doug Harkness dies

May 29, 2010

It is with great sadness that we report Doug Harkness, the Dean of Maritime harness racing, died Friday, May 28. He was 71.

Mr. Harkness was born and raised in Amherst, Nova Scotia and always remembered having a passion for journalism. As a teenager, he served as the night editor for the Amherst Daily News and at the age of 18 relocated to Moncton to join the staff at the Moncton Times. After spending time in Springhill, N.S. and then trying a larger center in Montreal, Mr. Harkness came back to Halifax to work for CBC. It was here that Mr. Harkness was bit by the racing bug.

"I used to be (at the barns) five or six days a week helping out. Of course all the guys knew who I was from the television and they kept asking why we didn't have anything in the Maritimes to cover harness racing," said Harkness in a 2003 Trot interview. "I thought about it for a while, and sort of let it go.

"This job came up with the Amherst News, back where I started. I realized that we had a press capability. We had a nice press and only a small daily and a small weekly paper that we were publishing. So, I approached Earl Gouchie (president of Cumberland Publishing) and said, 'Why don't we try to run a Maritime harness racing newspaper?' He said that I could try it if I wanted and see if I could get some support. As long as it wasn't going to lose any money he said we could try it. So, we launched it."

For nearly four decades, Mr. Harkness was the heart of Atlantic Post Calls, providing Eastern Canada with racing news, features, and his trademark op-ed pieces.

"People either love me or they hate me, but that's just something you have to live with in this business," said Harkness. "I think it's just a throw back to journalism. I've had run-ins with track operators and horsemen. But, in the end, I think they know that I mean well."

After selling APC, Mr. Harkness stayed on as the editor. In 1996 he became the first Canadian journalist to win the President's Award from the United States Harness Writers' Association and in 2003 he was awarded the prestigious Glen Kennedy Memorial Award for his contributions to Maritime breeding.

"I'm just lucky I found something that I love to do. Being a journalist is what I love and the racing game is something that I've grown to love. I'll say I'm pretty lucky to have had the run I've had with Post Calls. If you were going to compare it to sports, I've been a free agent many times and I finally found somewhere I could stand my coach."

His commitment and love for harness racing in the Maritimes will be his indelible legacy.

"If there's one thing that I would want to be known for, it's that I always try to do what's best for the industry. There are times that I am disappointed with it, but I'm too much a part of it."

Mr. Harkness is survived by his two brothers, Bob and Eugene; his wife, Donna-Jo; and children, Todd and Heather.

Arrangement details are forthcoming. (SC)

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