Islander Anthony MacDonald, on Sintra, breaks curse to claim Gold Cup & Saucer win

It's a victory almost 20 years in the making.

Sintra and P.E.I.'s Anthony MacDonald won the 63rd Gold Cup & Saucer race in Charlottetown Saturday night.

They tied the track record of 1:50.1 after pulling away from the competition near the three-quarter mark.

For MacDonald, the victory follows years of hard work. He's participated in the Gold Cup & Saucer series 13 times in 19 years, but didn't win until now.

"To win the Gold Cup means a lot to me," he said. "It means a lot to this stable… I know it sounds stupid, [but] it's not about the time, it's not about the money. It's about being a part of something so tremendous."

Sintra is owned by 30 people through the ownership-sharing enterprise TheStable.ca, which MacDonald co-founded with his wife. Trainers are Ontario's Harry Poulton and P.E.I.'s Jamie Smith.

MacDonald said they got Sintra only seven weeks before the race.

"This horse probably enjoyed this race as much as I did," he said. "He's an older horse. But … he's not getting wound up, he's soaking it all in and he truly loves the sport."

The winners claimed a purse of $100,000.

MacDonald joins brother Mark, a three-time race winner, in the group of champions.

He said the win means a lot to him, but also to Sintra's many backers.

"Those guys that you don't know their names, they're standing behind that horse," MacDonald said.

"I guarantee you that none of them are going to sleep for a few nights. It's just a tremendous feeling for everyday people throughout the industry."