Doug Arthur had a gift. Maybe more than one. Based at the edge of tobacco country near Norwich, Ont., Arthur would look at a yearling and spot potential that others might not, using intuition and knowledge, and then go into the sales ring, fully prepared. And it worked for him, in spades. Once he got his young prospects home, he had another forte, honed through years of … [Read more...] about Doug Arthur: Master of his Trade
standardbred racing
Bill Megens: A Lifetime in Racing
(A story from 9 years ago. Re-posting it because Bill Megens just won a race - driving - at The Raceway in London, Ont. at age 91. ) The trotting colts bore down the long Woodbine stretch in the yellow pools of light, like torpedoes from a distant war. Up the slope on a turn waited Bill Megens -- trainer/breeder/owner/sometime driver/blacksmith/tackler-of-life’s-blows -- to … [Read more...] about Bill Megens: A Lifetime in Racing
The Trotting Classic Comes Down to a $100 Bill
What can you do with a hundred dollar bill? Buy an inflatable car bed? A few bottles of champagne? Tickets to see The Guess Who? An entire box full of used CDs at a garage sale? (Maybe two boxes.) A couple of steaks? The way things are going, a few pieces of lettuce? Or you can pocket the dough and name a trotter “Ahundreddollarbill” and hope for the best. And if you … [Read more...] about The Trotting Classic Comes Down to a $100 Bill
Desperate Man Bursts out of the Shadows
Arthur, Ont., is a town of 2,450 people. Humble and charming. You can buy a truck there, visit the goat dairy, get uplifted at the York Soaring Association, treat yourself to organic food. Gasoline prices are the best there. There used to be a restaurant in Arthur called Post Time, with photos of all sorts of racehorses on the walls. Sadly, it’s gone now, but not the spirit … [Read more...] about Desperate Man Bursts out of the Shadows
The Exodus
Trainer/driver Anthony MacDonald says he grossly underestimated the costs of fleeing a pandemic at home to ply his livelihood in the United States a few weeks ago. The costs cut deeply. It was all so complicated, too. Yet the cost of staying in Ontario during lockdown was higher. “I know everybody keeps saying: ‘Just ride it out. Stay in your house,’” he said … [Read more...] about The Exodus