An Equine Love Story
June 23, 2020
Talented equine artist Michelle Hogan first met iron tough pacer Conrad Seelster when she was in her early 20s and he was a grizzled racetrack veteran with eight years of racing under his harness. Eighteen years later they are still together and Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society graduate Conrad is a beloved member of Michelle’s family.
“He moved in with us when we bought our first home, he was there on our wedding day and now he’s here while my twins grow up. My daughter, Autumn, in particular, loves him dearly,” said Michelle.
Michelle, whose twins Owen and Autumn will be four this August, stays connected to horse racing now through her art. She is a juried member of the American Academy of Equine Art (AAEA) and her first award from AAEA was for “Shady Daisy Shadow Roll”.
“It is most unusual to see Standardbred art hanging in an AAEA show, so to see my racing art not only be accepted, but awarded, is something I am thrilled with. I have worked so hard to get here,” she said at the time.
More recently, Michelle’s beautiful ink drawing of the great trotter San Pail was selected by Owen Sound’s juried art show to be on a banner that is hung on the town’s harbour for a year.
Like San Pail, Conrad Seelster is enjoying retirement surrounded by people who love him. And for both, it is a well-earned retirement. Conrad Seelster may not have been horse of the year in Canada twice, but he was an absolute iron horse throughout his 12 year racing career which saw him face the gate an incredible 445 times. His lifetime summary was 54 wins, 62 seconds and 61 thirds for $310,285 in earnings.
The son of Threefold bred by Seelster Farms never left Ontario during his racing days and he competed at 16 different racetracks in the province including several which are no longer operating (Sudbury, Elmira, Belleville, Barrie and Windsor). He was ultra consistent, averaging 37 starts per year from age three through 14.
Conrad was trained at the start of his career by John Yake of Woodstock, Ontario, who campaigned him until the end of his three-year-old season. Fred Maguire would take over the training responsibilities for a handful of starts. In May of Conrad’s four-year-old season Jeff Houghton claimed him from a race at Elmira for $3,500. It was the only time in his long career that he was claimed and from the age of four until 14 he was owned by trainer Jeff and his wife, Catherine, and it was in the Houghton barn that Michelle first met Conrad.
She grew up close to Flamboro Downs and her love for horses led her to become a caretaker. She worked in the Houghton stable looking after Conrad Seelster from 2002 until 2004.
“Conrad was always a gentleman. He was the barn favourite, of course. Jeff’s boys grew up with him. He could be strong on the track to jog and warm up, he liked to do things his way,” Michelle remembers.
Jeff’s son, Eddie, was two when the horse first came into the stable. “For my brother (Will) and I it was our routine for many years, each week watching Conrad race somewhere. He was such a special horse, he knew how to take care of himself and that’s why I think he raced as long as he did,” Eddie recalled recently.
Conrad’s most successful season was at age eight when he banked just over $70,000 from 44 starts. Jeff Houghton wasn’t afraid to race the consistent pacer throughout the province and Conrad spent quite a bit of time that season in Northern Ontario competing at Sudbury Downs. In late 2000 he had a four race win streak at Sudbury, including two in the $20,000 preferred.
“Dad would race him where he thought he could be the most successful and never touched WEG tracks. He excelled on a half-mile track. I remember racing at Sudbury and we’d eat at a restaurant that would give kids stuffed animals with their breakfast. I choose a horse and named him Conrad and took him everywhere with me for a long time,” said Eddie with a laugh.
The horse would earn his life record of 1:56.3 as a 10 year-old and Eddie remembers the amusing story behind that race at Clinton on July 14, 2002. Trevor Henry was up behind Conrad with the plan to leave with him. Just before the race was about to start the horse beside Conrad fell to the track (he was fine, but taken off the track and scratched).
“Conrad just took off, he ended up winning by five lengths. My dad always said he just wanted to get off the track as fast as he could after he saw that horse fall,” Eddie recalled.
Conrad made headlines at the end of his racing career. On New Year’s Eve, 2006 Rideau Carleton Raceway hosted a ‘Clash of the Iron Horses’ race that pitted Conrad against Kendal Python who was two years younger at 12. At the time Conrad had more lifetime starts than any horse in North America while Kendal Python had the second most. Python would surpass him in that category though, as he retired with 494 lifetime trips behind the gate two years later.
In that Rideau match-up Conrad set the pace, and down the lane his rival swept up the inside and the pair battled down the stretch with Conrad prevailing by a slight margin. It was Conrad’s last racetrack appearance and fittingly Houghton drove him for the first and final time. Many of the extended Houghton family were on hand for his final performance. That race may be watched through this link.
At the end of the race, following the winner’s circle presentation, one of the commentators noted that a horse of his calibre deserved a decent retirement home and Michelle has certainly provided that for him.
After his racing career concluded at the mandatory age of 14, Conrad was part of the OHHA Youth Camps which saw children spending the week learning the basics of harness racing, and working with four retired Standardbred horses. At the end of the week they put their skills to the ultimate test, competing in two four-horse exhibition races while accompanied by professional drivers.
“Conrad hadn’t been off the track for too long and I think they found he was too competitive for those races, he still wanted to compete,” said Eddie.
“I believe he was with the camp for two years before being given to OSAS. I was working as a vet assistant at the time and came across an advertisement in Horse Trader magazine for him. I immediately sent an email saying I would bring him home. He has been with me now since July of 2010,” noted Michelle.
Conrad was part of Michelle’s wedding to her husband Tim Casson and her photographer on that special day, Carrie Clarke Scott, was thrilled to see Conrad. “Carrie was his caretaker while he was with OSAS and she was my wedding photographer and was so happy to see him again.”
He also has other regular visitors. “Jeff and his family come up and stay every so often to have a good visit with him,” explained Michelle.
“I remember the last time I went to visit him with Dad,” said Eddie. “We walked up to the paddock and couldn’t see the horses. Dad called out ‘hey Conrad’ and we hear this nickering and then see the horse come running. I’m sure he remembered Dad’s voice. My dad often says what a relief it is that he’s found a home with Michelle, she is awesome.”
Conrad spends most of his days hanging out with Michelle’s other horse, a paint. He’s been lightly ridden and she’s hoping to let Autumn sit on him this summer.
“He really is a special horse. He has been so lucky to have so many good people in his life,” said Michelle. Judging by the beautiful photo Michelle recently posted of now 28 year-old Conrad Seelster looking fantastic, the feeling is mutual.
The Ontario Competitive Trail Riding Association (OCTRA) is reaching out to riders of Standardbreds to participate in a training ride on May 3. There are two rides, one seven miles, the other 14, and will be held at the Dufferin County Forest Main Tract. The event also includes sessions covering the following topics: Camping with your horse Trail etiquette Horse Health, before during and after the ride Vetting the horse in for the ride Taking your horses heart rate Pacing your horse’s speed And an introduction to the different OCTRA disciplines, 1) Set Speed, 2) Ride & Tie, 3) Limited Distance, 4) Competitive Trail Riding, 5) Endurance. The event organizers are encouraging riders with Standardbreds to take part and are willing to pay the entry fee for four participants riding a harness horse. The Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society already has representation with Sarah Cutherbertson who adopted the successful trotter West Grey Bay several years ago. Their story may be read here. OSAS strongly supports this initiative as it follows our mandate to showcase the versatility of the Standardbred bred to a wide, relevant audience and encourages anyone interested in participating to visit the OCTRA’s website for more information or to enter the event.
Millionaire trotter Y Chance It was laid to rest last week following a battle with colic. He was 26. The talented trotter joined the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society along with his best friend, Railroad Ron, several years ago. Long time race fans will remember both trotters who were regulars on the WEG circuit from 2001 through 2008. Trainer Ron O’Neill purchased Y Chance It, a son of Yentls Image, as a yearling for $5,000 and would be the horse’s trainer throughout his impressive career. “He was big and uncoordinated when I started to train him. He was never flashy, but he did everything right.” O’Neill remembered for a feature story I wrote in 2005. In total Y Chance It would face the gate 134 times for a summary of 43-15-15 and $1,081,364 in earnings. One of the highlights of his long career, which concluded as a nine-year-old in 2008, was his sweep of the 2004 Horsemen’s Series at Woodbine. O’Neill describes his performance in the first leg of the event: “He broke at the start and we figured he spotted the field a good 20 lengths. He was catching up to them by the quarter and kept digging in and I was thinking we might have a chance to get a cheque. He kept coming and I’m thinking ‘wow, we might get third’ and he just kept going and won. “I could watch the tape of that race every day and not get sick of it. To be able to do that against that calibre of horses in there was unbelievable.” In the $116,500 Horsemen’s final Y Chance It was impressive once more, winning from post eight for his regular pilot Randy Fritz. Fritz drove Y Chance it in most of his career starts but when the driver was sidelined with an injury in early 2005 Paul MacDonell climbed into the sulky and guided the trotter to another Horsemen’s Trot final win in January of 2005. Not only did Y Chance It and Railroad Ron compete against each other on the racetrack, they spent their entire retirement together. For several years the pair received wonderful care from the late Dr. Ted Clarke, his wife Val and daughter Carrie. The Clarke family were ardent supporters of OSAS for years and took in many older, companion horses like Y Chance It and Railroad Ron. When the Clarkes’ farm was sold, the pair moved to the farm of Lynn and Kevin Bodz. “We were asked by their connections if we could accommodate them and take them both as they were great friends and had been together for years,” OSAS’s Joanne Colville said. “We send condolences to Y Chance It’s connections who trusted us with his retirement and gratitude to those who fostered him and let him live the life he so deserved.” Railroad Ron, 23, earned a quarter of a million in his career guided by Paula Wellwood and Mike Keeling. He now has a new paddock mate in Bettor Not Bitter, a 13-year-old Bettors Delight gelding.
The Wellington-Waterloo Hunt Club has hosted many Standardbreds and their riders at their events over the past few years and the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society returned the favour by hosting a large group from the club at Mohawk Racetrack this past Saturday night. OSAS’s Joanne Colville, Emma Christoforou and board member Kelly Spencer were on hand to answer any questions the enthusiastic group had about the races, the horses, betting, etc. In addition to a wonderful dinner, they also enjoyed a backstretch tour and sponsored the sixth race. “It was a great evening at the races for the Wellington-Waterloo folks who were an enthusiastic and lovely group,” Kelly noted. “The relationship OSAS has fostered with the club has allowed us to showcase the Standardbred breed to a new, relevant audience that will ultimately allow us to adopt out more horses.” This year’s W-WH Hunter Pace Series events will take place on April 27 (Meadowrock Farm), June 1 (Snapping Turtle Stables), September 7 (The Kennels at Hunters’ Run) and October 5 (Conestogo River Horseback Adventures). All dates are Sundays and will have strong Standardbred representation as we continue to demonstrate the versatility of our breed to other riders. Photos by Kelly Spencer
Thanks to Chris Loman of Woodbine Entertainment for following up on the story of Shadow Place who was recently found a forever home by OSAS. An iron horse who included the coveted Gold Cup and Saucer among his accomplishments,Shadow Place has found a loving forever home with Alexandra and Tim Dickieson on their farm in Holland Centre. In Chris's feature story, he explains the significance of the Gold Cup victory for his longtime owner Katie Miller, a detective with the Regional Police in Waterloo and the Dickiesons. The full story may be read: https://newsroom.woodbine.com/shadow-place-strikes-gold...
The 2025 OSAS Stallion Auction concluded today with tremendous interest and bidding, and we appreciate everyone who donated and bid to make it another successful fundraiser for our retired harness horses. The following are the stallions and their successful purchasers. STALLION BUYER Alarm Detector Calabode Farms Alarm Detector Calabode Farms All Bets Off Chris Cain Betterthancheddar Zach Carroll Big Jim Chris Bradt Bulldog Hanover Ben Ramsey Cattlewash Philippe Trudeau Century Farroh Bill Mackay Control The Moment Ashley MacDonald Dancin Lou Nancy MacNevin Dancin Lou Michelle Bohrer Lookslikeachpndale Ian Fleming McWicked Stuart Bolender Run Director Vernon Wagler Sunshine Beach Kelly Bryczka We express our sincere appreciation to Seelster Farms, Tara Hills Stud, Winbak Farms, Steve Calhoun, Dave Kryway, Ontario 1362313 and Heather Davies for their generous stallion breeding donations and to all the bidders for your interest and support. Founded in 1996, OSAS is the official agency responsible for finding forever homes for retired Standardbreds and to showcase the versatility of the breed.
A reminder that the 2025 OSAS Stallion Auction closes today, Thursday, February 13, starting at noon. The annual fundraiser features 13 of the province’s top sires as follows: Alarm Detector All Bets Off Betterthanheddar Big Jim Bulldog Hanover Cattlewash Century Farroh Control The Moment Dancin Lou Lookslikeachpndale McWicked Run Director Sunshine Beach It will be a staggered close starting alphabetically with Alarm Detector at noon and the next horse 15 minutes later until it concludes with Sunshine Beach. Note that if a bid occurs in the final 60 seconds of the stallion’s availability, the auction for that stallion will be extended for 120 seconds or until all bidding ceases. To view the auction please click here . A reminder that you are required to register prior to placing your first bid. Any questions or concerns, please reach out to Joanne Colville at osashorses@gmail.com or call or text 905-339-6748. There has been a tremendous response to this year’s auction and we are extremely grateful to the stallion owners for their generous donations and to the many bidders for your support.
The Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society’s annual Stallion Auction gets underway today (Monday, February 10) at noon and features some of the most popular and prolific sires in the province. At the recent O’Brien Awards the first two trophies given out were to offspring of sires in our auction – Chantilly by Big Jim and Stonebridge Wizard by Dancin Lou. Many of the stallions available were O’Brien winners themselves including three named Canada’s Horse of the Year – Bulldog Hanover, Century Farroh and McWicked. The auction also gives breeders the opportunity to access Cattlewash whose book is full and closed for the 2025 breeding season as well as to the sport’s fastest performer of all time, Bulldog Hanover. The complete list of stallions available are, in alphabetical order: Alarm Detector All Bets Off Betterthanheddar Big Jim Bulldog Hanover Cattlewash Century Farroh Control The Moment Dancin Lou Lookslikeachpndale McWicked Run Director Sunshine Beach The auction will end Thursday, February 13 with a staggered close also starting at noon and is once again hosted by Easy Auction and may be accessed here . A reminder that you are required to register prior to placing your first bid. This auction is annually one of the most successful fundraisers for OSAS and we are so grateful to all the stallion owners for their generous donations and to all the bidders for your support. Any questions or concerns, please reach out to Joanne Colville at osashorses@gmail.com or call or text 905-339-6748.
OSAS is pleased to announce the dates for their annual stallion auction which could be the last opportunity to obtain a breeding to popular sires whose books have already closed for this year’s season. The 2025 OSAS Stallion Auction will run from Monday, February 10 starting at noon and close Thursday, February 13 with a staggered close also starting at noon. Always one of OSAS’s most popular fundraisers, this year’s stallion auction will be once again hosted by Easy Auction which may be accessed here . To date the sires which will be available are, in alphabetical order: Alarm Detector All Bets Off Betterthanheddar Big Jim Bulldog Hanover Cattlewash Century Farroh Control The Moment Dancin Lou Lookslikeachpndale McWicked Run Director Sunshine Beach Please check back regularly for updates to the list. OSAS thanks every stallion owner for their generosity and support again this year. Additional sires will be accepted up until February 8. To donate, or if you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to Joanne Colville at osashorses@gmail.com or call or text 905-339-6748. Established in 1996, OSAS is the official adoption agency for Standardbred horses in the province, responsible for spreading the message of the versatility of the breed and finding forever loving homes for retired pacers and trotters.
Shadow Place, whose accomplishments during his storied career included winning the coveted Gold Cup and Saucer, recently found a forever home through the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society. Now 14, Shadow Place began his career as a two-year-old in 2013 which saw him successfully compete in the Ontario Sires Stakes, winning a Grassroots event at Hanover Raceway in his second lifetime start. The son of Shadow Play had additional OSS wins as a sophomore and then went on to enjoy a long career as a veteran campaigner throughout Ontario in addition to a couple of stints at US tracks. His most successful year was 2017, his seven-year-old season, which saw him take in over $136,000 and capture the Maritime’s most prestigious harness race, the Gold Cup and Saucer at Charlottetown Driving Park. That was very special for Katie Miller, who was with Shadow Place for the majority of his career as well as his retirement up until now. “Obviously growing up on the east coast, the Gold Cup & Saucer is the holy grail. So, to take him there, let alone win it, was beyond anything I can ever describe. I actually thought I was going to pass out walking back to the winner’s circle that night. He stood there for 20 minutes, like an angel, while people took very muddy photos with him,” she described. Shadow Place’s final career start came in December of 2021 at The Raceway in London. Upon his retirement his stats show 142 trips behind the gate for a summary of 27-13-19 with $360,539 banked. His life best of 1:49.1 was recorded at Mohawk during his five-year-old season. “When I retired him four years ago, he had a tendon injury and he stayed with me until the opportunity came through OSAS to give him an amazing forever home with Alexandra and Tim Dickieson, who are lovely. I personally can’t provide such a picturesque property for him to live out his days and may never be able to,” explained Katie, a detective with the Regional Police in Waterloo, Ontario. “All we can do is put our horses first and I think this is the least I can do for him given all he has done for me,” added Katie who plans to visit Shadow Place at his new home at the Dickieson’s farm in Holland Centre, Ontario where he moved to last week. Shadow Place, who Katie broke to ride, has joined the couple’s other horses who are saddle horses or Standardbreds enjoying some time away from the racetrack. “He loves it, he has two other geldings and three mares as buddies. They are out together during the day and in stalls at night,” said Tim who currently has five horses racing. Four: Kaptain Karlos, Mamba, Ilikemebettor and No Wait List - are with Blake MacIntosh while Tyler Moore trains the recently acquired Fashion Forward for them. While Shadow Place will never grace the winners’ circle again, it seems he’s found a winning retirement surrounded by people who simply want the best for him.
The Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society sends warm wishes to all for a wonderful holiday season and happy and healthy 2025. Thanks to Brooke Luke for this wonderful photo of Frightful Watch (aka Kevin) and Weatherly (Wes) who she adopted from OSAS a few years back. At the time she had no idea the pair were former stablemates in the Julie Walker barn. That story was a feature on OSAS and may be read Racing Buddies Together Again In Retirement
