Breeders Spotlight
After 40 years of operation, St. Lad’s Farm is no more. Bob Ladouceur told Trot Insider that the 75-acre farm, located east of Windsor and north of Leamington just outside of Ruscom Station, Ont., has been sold and will no longer operate as a breeeding farm and turn-out facility. The 78-year-old Ladouceur didn’t enter the Standardbred industry in a typical fashion. After graduating from the University of Windsor with a business degree, Ladouceur worked for a decade as a tax analyst with Hiram Walker. He then transitioned to ownership of a local Home Hardware and Home Furniture store while owning a farm with riding and show horses. He eventually switched from Morgans to Standardbreds, while expanding to serve as a boarding station for other owners in the area. “In 2019, I owned 19 of my own broodmares,” said Ladouceur. “We had maybe 35, 38 broodmares on the farm. Around the 2012 cancellation of slots-at-racetracks program, I had about 140 horses on the farm. I had a bunch of Michigan and Ohio owners. Then that’s when they started dwindling.” Activity in the area has certainly decreased in the last decade, with Windsor Raceway closing, Leamington being shuttered until recently and Michigan’s harness racing industry also taking a hit. For a breeder in a more remote location, Ladouceur felt the pinch of a virtual yearling sale more than some of his more centrally-located participants. “And I’m totally convinced in my mind that a lot of the virtual selling is going to continue to take place, and I’m still not in a good location for people to come and inspect.” Over the years, St. Lad’s has produced a number of horses that were more than worth the drive to inspect. According to Ladouceur, 83.5 per cent of the horses bred and raised by St. Lad’s have raced, with earnings in excess of $12.4 million, with 43 $100,000 earners. The most notable of the horses with the St. Lad’s prefix is St Lads Popcorn, the O’Brien Award winning daughter of Twin B Champ – Hot Butter who banked $654,606 on the racetrack and then tragically passed away while in foal after her second mating. Ladouceur fondly recalled that group of 2006 foals, headlined by St Lads Popcorn. The farm raised 10 foals in that year and all 10 made it to the races as two-year-olds. “Throughout the year, I had been following up on the babies’ progress with their trainers. It was just amazing to see all of them make it to the races.” Other recent top performers bred by St. Lad’s include Machal Jackson ($562,715), Mach It Paid ($456,765), St Lads Kingpin ($447,892) and St Lads Neptune ($356,070). Bob and his wife Veronica have relocated into Ruscom Station, and will stay involved in the harness racing industry on a smaller scale with a handful of racehorses and some broodmares. He’s unable to keep his horses locally as the farm has been sold and won’t be maintained as a boarding facility. “I have five broodmares in foal that I maintain with Mac Lilley Farms, looking at foaling in 2022, yearlings in 2023…not much chance of them racing as two-year-olds so I’ve set a new objective to live at least until 2025 to see some of these guys race,” said Ladouceur with a laugh. Ladouceur also plans to spend some time travelling with family while cheering on his beloved yet much-maligned local NFL franchise. “I have season tickets for — and, I hate to say this out loud, I have for years and years — the Detroit Lions. Even in their year of 0 and 16, and it looks like it’s going that way this year, too. “I love football and it’s a good social thing for me. It gives me a chance to bring my accountant, bring my banker, and stay on the good side of those guys.” (Standardbred Canada)
A special era in the Ontario Standardbred breeding industry came to a close last summer when Jackie and Larry Drysdale decided to call it a career. Although the husband and wife duo have shifted gears, that doesn’t mean they are out of the picture. Jackie and Larry Drysdale, the husband and wife team that managed Winbak Farm of Canada for many years, may have celebrated their retirement last August. However, the saying ‘once harness racing gets into your blood, you’re in it for life’ has been proven to be more than just a catchphrase – it’s no different with this husband/wife team. Soon after their retirement , the Drysdale’s headed on an eight-week Australian trip. They toured the top breeding farms the country had to offer during their getaway. “It was really an experience,” Larry said. “Both countries are so great.” After returning from Down Under, the duo headed to Florida to visit Jackie’s mother, but also managed to visit some training centres to converse with owners and trainers. “It never gets out of your blood,” Larry admitted. Larry’s harness racing story began at, coincidentally, a major breeding farm. “I started with Armstrong Brothers here in Canada as a kid working with the yearlings,” said the native of Acton, Ont. “Then I moved to California to work for Joe O’Brien, where I spent four years.” Drysdale returned to Canada in 1974 to work with Jack Kopas. After that, Larry returned to Armstrong Brothers to assist with their breeding operations, where he was to spend the next 25 years until Winbak Farm took over the operation. Drysdale met Winbak owner Joe Thomson at the Harrisburg sale, and shortly afterward was flown down to Maryland for an interview with Joe and his wife, JoAnn. They hired Larry, along with his wife Jackie, to run Winbak Farm of Canada in 2005. Jackie was hired as an office manager, while Larry headed the breeding operation. The duo spent 13 years fronting the operation before their retirement in 2018. Jackie, a native of Pittsburgh, PA, got her start in Kentucky looking after Thoroughbreds. “I started working with them at Keeneland, before my trainer relocated to Florida,” Jackie said. “I didn’t want to go.” Shortly afterwards, Jackie got a job with Clear Creek Farm, where she took Standardbred yearlings to the sales. This is when she met Joe O’Brien. “I asked Joe if he needed any help in California and he said ‘yes,’ and that’s where I met Larry.” The rest, as they say, is history. Eventually, Jackie moved with Larry to Canada, where they ended up at Winbak Farm. “I worked with the yearlings in the morning before I tended to my office work,” Jackie said. As far as her duties at the office, Jackie processed breeding orders, took them to the lab, extend the semen, and shipped the orders out. “I was a ‘Jackie’ of all trades,” she quipped. Shortly after their retirement, the Drysdales received an award from the Standardbred Ontario Breeders named after Chris Van Bussell, who was a driving force behind Seelster Farms and a Hall of Famer. “Chris was such a kind man with the highest of integrity. It was an honour to win an award named after him,” Jackie said. Larry echoed those words. “That was very emotional, especially with my wife,” Larry said. “We personally knew Chris (Van Bussell) and he was a good friend of ours. It really meant a lot.” As far as what’s ahead for Larry and Jackie, it will be a little of everything. “We plan on doing more travelling and spending time with our grandchildren,” Jackie said. You can safely wager, despite retirement, that harness racing will remain a part of their lives forever. “Of course, I was at Winbak Farm this morning,” joked Larry. (Standardbred Canada with files from Post Time with Mike and Mike)