Rocky View, AB — Fresh off his first million-dollar season in the sport, Phil Giesbrecht now has a chance for another first in harness racing: representing Canada on an international stage.

On the strength of a natural hat trick to conclude the day, Giesbrecht edged out Mike Hennessy by one point to win the 2024 Western Regional Driving Championship (WRDC), presented by Standardbred Canada, on Saturday (May 11) at Century Downs Racetrack & Casino, outside Calgary, Alta.

Giesbrecht swept the final three races in the competition, winning the sixth leg with Short Sell Hanover, the penultimate race with Military Man, and the finale aboard Keystone Tenacious.

Phil Giesbrecht drove Keystone Tenacious to victory on Saturday at Century Downs Racetrack & Casino, near Calgary, to capture the 2024 Western Regional Driving Championship. Caitlin Fancy/Coady Photo.

In an interview after the competition, Giesbrecht acknowledged that a challenge such as the WRDC is closer to a marathon than a sprint. His path to victory on Saturday is proof positive. Sitting seventh after the first five legs of the competition, Giesbrecht finished with a flourish. The bulk of his 62 total points came in his three wins (45 total points there) to provide a summary that bested Hennessy, the 2022 WRDC winner, by a single point.

“It’s just a good feeling right now,” said Giesbrecht, who felt the back half of his Saturday roster was stronger than the front four. “It was a fantastic day, the weather was perfect and Century did a great job hosting.”

Giesbrecht, Hennessy, Scott Knight (56 points), David Kelly (52) and Nathan Sobey (49) comprised the top five drivers of the competition.

A native of Manitoba, Giesbrecht, 35, cut his teeth driving on the fair circuits in Manitoba and Saskatchewan some 15 years ago, making his move to Alberta in 2008. He posted career best numbers for wins (120) and purse earnings (C$1.124 million) in 2023 despite losing time with a broken wrist. Lifetime, Giesbrecht sports 1,236 wins with C$8.16 million in purses.

By finishing one-two in the WRDC, Giesbrecht and Hennessy join defending champion Doug McNair and Ontario’s Tyler Borth and James MacDonald in the 2024 National Driving Championship (NDC), presented by Standardbred Canada, on July 5, 2024, at Hippodrome 3R in Trois-Rivières, Que.

The field of nine NDC drivers will be finalized after the Atlantic Regional Driving Championship on Saturday, May 25, at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at Charlottetown Driving Park in Charlottetown, P.E.I., and the Quebec/Eastern Ontario Regional Driving Championship on Sunday, June 2, at Hippodrome 3R. The winner of the NDC will represent Canada in the 2025 World Driving Championship in New Zealand.