When you're entered in big races, you're going to leave it all on the track and do what it takes to win. Covered Bridge and Jordan Stratton did exactly that...and a little more, quite literally. Last year, Stratton and Covered Bridge both made their debut on Prince Edward Island at Red Shores at the Charlottetown Driving Park. The start was not only each of their first times on the Island but also in the prestigious C$100,000 Atlantic Lottery Gold Cup and Saucer. The pair won the race by a length in a thrilling 1:50 3/5 finish before embarking on a historic winner's circle tour. "I was driving Covered Bridge full-time, and it was one of Jeff [Gillis'] lifetime races to win. Him and his father dreamed of it, and that's how it was passed on, but that was his first opportunity and his whole family was there," Stratton said. "I put a lot of pressure on myself for that first one and it worked out like a dream. We weren't going to go back because it was so good. We didn't think we could top it, but last minute he decided to go for it and it worked out. "It was my first time there and my first win. It was pretty close to the top of the races I've won. I mean, you look out over the crowd and the lights are out and the fans are cheering. It's really something unbelievable that the TV doesn't do any justice to." Fast forward to this year on Saturday, August 17 when Stratton and Covered Bridge found their way to the Island for the second time together in the 2024 edition of the Gold Cup and Saucer final. They took post four in the field of nine. After the post parade show, the lights raised and the gate swung into position. Stratton lined his pacer up on the gate and eased back into sixth while the early speed battled for contention on the lead. The first quarter clicked in 26 3/5 before any right lines were pulled. Save America and Adam Merner were first-over, followed by Fortify and Daniel Dube. Covered Bridge garnered himself a third-over trip through the half in 54 seconds. Save America cleared the lead and Covered Bridge continued to follow the cover of Fortify through the 1:22 1/5 three-quarters. Around the final turn, Covered Bridge found open track ahead, and he began to pull away from the field. Sprinting to the wire with a final panel clocked in 28 seconds, Stratton and Covered Bridge defended their title with a 1:50 4/5 score by 3 3/4 lengths. Stratton raised his fist in celebration across the finish and took the Jeff Gillis student around the long way to the winner's circle, up the backstretch. "It wasn't quite as much pressure as it was last year. It was if we win, great, if we don't, it was just the fun experience. For it to work out with a perfect trip, it was just as good as the first time," Stratton said. Stratton and the 8-year-old gelded son of American Ideal-Stonebridge Kisses came down to a walk on the far turn, making their way towards the front of the grandstand after their second Gold Cup and Saucer appearance and victory together. "The first year I was just playing off the horse. It's not normally like that, but I couldn't get him pulled up and when I got to the outside fence, he completely dropped me and his ears went forward, so I just went with it. He was hamming it up as much as I was, and at that point I was committed. You can't just turn people down when they want to see the horse up close, so I just went with it," Stratton said. "This year, I think people were expecting it, and you can't cut it off halfway through and not finish the job, so I tried to shake as many hands as I could. I appreciate them showing the love for the game." Covered Bridge is no stranger to the spotlight. Along with winning back-to-back Gold Cup and Saucer starts, he shares a record of 51-22-26 in 155 starts with over $1.34 million banked. His résumé includes a third-place in the $511,000 MGM Borgata Pacing Series final at Yonkers Raceway in 2023, along with featured wins in the $111,000 Camluck Classic at Western Fair, $75,000 Kane Invitational at Batavia Raceway, and $73,800 Bluegrass at The Red Mile. While Jody Jamieson piloted the Jeff Gillis student in the Gold Cup and Saucer elimination, Stratton took the lines for the final and has been the regular pilot of Covered Bridge since September 2022 when Gillis began training him. And the partnership behind Covered Bridge, who is owned by Mark Ford, was successful, as he has made 65 of his starts with Stratton in the bike for Gillis, picking up checks 62 times and finishing in-the-money in 49 starts. "They've definitely done a lot together, put a lot of miles together and they do just get along so well! Jordan has such a respect for the horse and knows him better than anyone," Sarah Gillis, wife of trainer Jeff Gillis, said on Jordan and Covered Bridge. "There's not many that Jordan doesn't get along with though!" Jordan Stratton started driving in 2006. He has made over 5,500 trips to the winner's circle and recently surpassed the $100 million career earnings milestone. A native of Ohio, Jordan is the son of trainer David Stratton and Jeanine Stratton and a brother to trainer Cory Stratton. He won his first race at Monticello Raceway at the age of 18 and has since climbed the ranks to lead the standings at Yonkers Raceway. And following their Gold Cup and Saucer triumph, the dynamic duo of horse and driver made their journey around that turn and down the lane of the Charlottetown oval under clear skies and in the shadow of about 20,000 fans. Once they reached the top of the stretch, Stratton jumped to his feet and a few passersby helped pull off the bike. Stratton took the horse from Sarah and they continued their victory walk together side-by-side. The pair stopped at every person along the way, sharing handshakes and high-fives, photos and selfies, and smiles and chatter. Hands stretched out along the way with fans hoping for contact with the horse and driver. Smiles shined through the face of every fan that got close to the winners, but arguably none bigger than that of the winners themselves. They both appeared to be having the time of their life. And Covered Bridge wasn't shy to the attention himself. The gelding perked his ears forward and accepted all the pats and scratches from the adoring fans. He leaned in and seemed to really enjoy the moment as Stratton did, too. It seemed the further Stratton walked down the stretch, the less he was carrying. In the far turn, Stratton gave his goggles to the son of a horseman. "He gave my son, who is 11, on the top turn his goggles," Billy McGuigan posted on Facebook. Over the fence, a fan asked for a glove from him and he gave it. A young boy walking the bike for Stratton received the second glove while his brother received Jordan's whip. "My grandson got Jordan's glove. He slept in [it]," Sharon Carver said in a post on Facebook. "My other grandson got the whip. First thing I heard the next morning was a snapping whip, haha. Thank you to Jordan for making memories of a lifetime for two little boys." Stratton continued his tour to the winner's circle, stopping with every fan. Just across from the winner's circle, his tour concluded with an interview with Ken Warkentin before he joined the connections and Covered Bridge for their photo-op with the trophies. Dozens filled the winner's circle, surrounding the victors with double-digit cameras pointing and shooting the moments. Covered Bridge posed for every shot, ears forward and eyes wide and proud. He never flinched, only moving his head to scan the crowd as if he was soaking in every moment. Cameras clicked, accompanied with bright flashes, people shuffled around, cheers were loud and the gelding just enjoyed every second of it. ► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter "He is a complete gentleman in life on all fronts," Jeff Gillis said on Covered Bridge. "We've had him two years now; I've traveled around the U.S. with him racing myself and he's as easy as they come, just a joy to be around! He poses in the winner's circle. In the paddock, before the race, he was glued to the TV, ears pricked as if he knew what was happening out there without him. But he never gets worked up or hot. He's a chill dude." While in the winner's circle, Stratton met a young fan by the name of Brayden White. Stratton made his greatest display of generosity and pulled off his helmet and gave it to Brayden to keep. "My son has Down Syndrome and is an avid horse racing enthusiast," Brayden's father, Melvin Ford, posted in a comment on Facebook. "He loves the races. The memory and the gift will be something my son will speak about for the rest of his life!" He stayed and talked with Brayden, then took some photos with himself, Brayden, and Covered Bridge together. "I guess once I woke up it probably wasn't the smartest thing. I was just in the moment," said Stratton. "For the kid I gave the helmet to, I was thinking the helmet could impact his life more than it impacted mine and my bank account." Stratton has arranged to send Brayden a signed set of colors and the headshot photo from the winner's circle to commemorate the evening. After the photo session was done with the winners, Sarah walked Covered Bridge back to the paddock and Stratton stayed to interview with the reporters, snap some more photos, and engage with the fans of all ages present on track. When he finally got back to the paddock, he pulled the wheels off of his bike and gave them to an up-and-coming driver at the Red Shores half-mile track, Landon Campbell. "[He] got off the track and gave the wheels off his bike to our son Landon as he starts his driving career," Natasha Campbell wrote on Facebook. "Life's not all about stuff, but my gosh, he sure knew how to leave a part of himself with so many this Gold Cup night! He brought a lot of smiles to a lot of faces. Moments many won't forget." Landon Campbell is the son of Natasha and Marc Campbell, a top driver in Charlottetown. Marc won the driving title for 14 straight seasons and is a two-time winner of the O'Brien Award for Horsemanship. Landon gained his start as a trainer in 2023 and has since won 14 races. He has his sights set on making his start as a driver. "I met [Landon] last year when I came up," Stratton said. "The Campbells were very helpful, and he's trying to get his start. He's a very respectful kid, and I respect that. Last year, he was asking me about wheels and bikes and I said, 'you can have those wheels that I won with Covered Bridge,' but with the shipping and everything, I was late to getting a replacement set so I changed the bearings and got them all ready for him and told him he could have them after this start." And thus, when you say you must leave it all on the track, you may think of just those two minutes in the mile. But if you're Jordan Stratton and Covered Bridge, you take that saying literally. Whether leaving the fans with memories and photos or with gloves, a whip, a helmet, and wheels, Stratton and Covered Bridge definitely left it all on the track in the 2024 Gold Cup and Saucer in a stunning display of horsemanship and class, making it one of the most memorable experiences for everyone near and far. Stratton hopes to return to Prince Edward Island for another start in the Gold Cup and Saucer in the future. He also has his sights set on some bucket list races, specifically the Little Brown Jug. "Definitely being from Ohio, the Little Brown Jug would be on my bucket list. Then, the marquee events like the Hambletonian. But the Little Brown Jug has always been on my list," said Stratton. He said that if he won a race like the Jug or any other prominent race, he would likely follow the same show with the fans. "I think I would have to, it's expected now," Stratton laughed. If there's anything that Stratton wants to take away from the Gold Cup and Saucer and give to anyone, it's that it is a bucket list item that everyone should try to attend. "I want to tell everybody when I get back to the States that they have to go," said Stratton. "I actually ran into a few people up there that I didn't realize were going, but they took my advice and wanted to see it in person. It's one of those races that I hope everybody gets to experience at some point." As far as leaving it all on the track, including pieces of himself and his own equipment, Stratton draws his reason from a personal perspective. "I was that kid running up and down the apron at the track every night and trying to collect whips and just yelling at the drivers, wishing they would look over and some of the guys did talk, but most would just give a little head nod. I remember asking my dad, 'how come they don't talk to me?' He said they may get fined for talking on the track, but again, I just remember being that kid, so when I see kids on the apron, I smile at them, and it hits close to home," Stratton concluded.