James Doherty Passes

It was with a heavy heart that I learned of the passing of James 'Jim' Doherty this morning (he passed yesterday) at the age of 74.  I remember Doherty when the Meadowlands first opened as a driver who came down from new England to try his luck at the new track and he was successful, becoming a regular who raced against the best in the industry for the longest of times..

If you are of my generation, who didn't recall Green With Envy racing every week in the F&M Open Paces at the Meadowlands?  Later, who didn't remember Fools Goal, a horse he trained and let others drive?  

Doherty was an unassuming man, yet one of the greats in harness racing.  He probably wasn't appreciated as much as he should have in his racing days but the loss was ours, not his.  This man from Atlantic Canada followed the path of many great drivers who cut their teeth racing in Atlantic Canada and then moving down to New England before heading to the big time.  Whether racing in New York or New Jersey, he was a force to be reckoned with.

I was going to write about something else today, but it doesn't seem right to do so.  We lost one of the great ones and the harness racing world seems to be poorer for it.  They don't make driver/trainers like James Doherty anymore.  May he rest in peace.