Blog Post
From The Jug To The Saddle With Ease
June 4, 2020
It isn’t something you see very often: a Little Brown Jug and O’Brien Award winner wearing a saddle rolling around the ground at a major Standardbred Horse Show but that’s exactly what Michaels Power was doing a few months ago and his rider, Kailey Williams, could not have been more delighted.
“I had only been riding him for four months when we entered that show (The National Standardbred Show at the Horse Park in New Jersey). I didn’t realize what a big deal it was,” explained Kailey, a 20 year-old Stockton University student. “He was a little scared, there were a lot of announcements and noise, I think he thought he was back at the track.
“We got a fifth and I couldn’t have been happier and I think he was too. He laid down and rolled, with the saddle on; he was sweaty and thought it was okay to do it right there in the ring. His name had been announced and as we were leaving the ring a lady came up to me and said ‘Michaels Power? As in Little Brown Jug Michaels Power?’ That’s a reaction I get a lot.”
That’s understandable given the success Michaels Power had on the racetrack. Not only did he win the 2012 Jug in a world record for a gelding and becoming only the second Ontario-sired pacer to win the coveted leg of pacing’s triple crown, he also added many other trophies during his sophomore season. He swept the Upper Canada elimination and $600,000 final at Georgian Downs, captured a Somebeachsomewhere division, won several Ontario Sires Stakes Gold events, the Confederation Cup final at Flamboro Downs and the OSS Super Final at Mohawk.
At the conclusion of his three-year-old season he was crowned Canada’s top performer in his division and took home the O’Brien Award for his owner/breeder Jeffrey Snyder and his son Michael who continue to own him to this day. That would prove his most prolific season at the track but he also enjoyed a productive six-year-old season, earning over $200,000. He officially retired the following year.
Most horses with his talent and pedigree would have been retired earlier but there wasn’t a lucrative stallion career in his future as he is a gelding. Michaels Power is sired by one of Canada’s most prolific stallions of all time and a member of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame, Camluck.
His maternal side isn’t too shabby either. His dam, Michelles Jackpot, a half-sister to Cams Card Shark ($2.4 million), earned $695,000 during her racing career. The daughter of Artsplace was the two-year-old pacing filly of the year in the US in 1996 and as talented as she was on the racetrack, she was even more impressive as a broodmare. To date she’s delivered 18 foals who have earned well over $5.9 million.
Michaels Power is her richest performer followed by his older full sister Michelles Power who won $1.3 million during her career. Another of their siblings is the gelding Alexas Jackpot who earned in excess of half a million primarily on the WEG circuit.
Shortly after Kailey posted about riding Michaels Power on Facebook, Ontario trainer Amanda Fine responded that she had his half-brother, Alexas Jackpot, and that they look similar. Another poster reached out to say they took care of his full brother Mikes Powerhouse last summer.
“I started riding him in April of 2019 and he has become the best all around horse there is, we’ve done western pleasure, gymkhana, trail riding, showmanship and this year we started English,” was what Kailey had written on Facebook.
Kailey’s cousin, Tom Spain, lives and works at Blairwood Farms where Michaels Power is enjoying retirement. Kailey, who lives close by, would often help Tom out at the farm and a few times she brought Michaels Power into the barn.
“I grew up riding horses, I was on them since I was about two or three. I stopped riding when I was around 10 or 11 as I was playing soccer and lost the feeling for it for a while. Michaels Power is the first horse I had ridden in 10 years,” explained Kailey who is a health science major, leaning towards a career in the medical field, perhaps dentistry.
“Last year I was thinking that maybe I’d get back into riding. I really like Standardbreds, although I hadn’t had much experience with them. Apparently Mike Snyder had told the farm owner, Leslie McClaren, that if there was anyone wanting to ride Michaels Power they would like that. It was a way to give him some more attention.
“Michaels Power was such a sweetheart I thought maybe I’d throw a saddle on him. Tom got on him first, bare back, and the next day we put a saddle on him and I rode him. He was so good; he acted like he’d been doing it his whole life. He has a great personality, I love giving him treats which I have the hidden in tack room and he knows as soon as I get them,” added Kailey.
The ardent animal lover is very grateful to be able to ride and take care of such a talented horse. She keeps the Snyders updated on his progress and often sends photos. “I am very happy to be riding again and I can’t thank them enough for allowing me to ride such an incredible horse.”
During the past few months in quarantine, Kailey has been working at the farm quite a bit and therefore spending more time than usual with Michaels Power, riding him almost daily, which is one of the positives for her to come out of these uncertain times.
When racing was shut down, the farm was quite busy housing numerous racehorses in the area. One of those included 2018 Jugette winner Alexas Power, Michaels Power’s niece. The now five-year-old daughter of Somebeachsomewhere is the fourth foal from Michaels’ full sister Michelles Power.
Michaels Power’s swiftness on the racetrack has not transitioned into his riding career though. “When you’re riding him you’d never know he’d been a racehorse, he doesn’t want to go fast. The first year I never took him faster than trot, this year I took him out in the front field and got him to canter and then he started to pace, he could go fast if he wanted to, he just usually doesn’t want to.
“I can’t praise him enough. He’s never done anything stupid or tried to buck, he’s very smart. I fell off him once and he just stood there and looked at me like: ‘are you all right?’ He’s such a good horse,” praised Kailey.
Michaels Power is yet another Standardbred who has transitioned into a second career almost seamlessly. And he also proves that regardless of success on the racetrack - the upper echelon as he was, or unraced as many are - they can still enjoy long and productive careers in another discipline.
Photo Credits: Jug photo (Conrad photo) Remaining supplied by Kailey Williams.
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
The Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society congratulates the winners of our annual Second Chance Raffle and sincerely thanks all who donated prizes and purchased tickets. The winners were drawn on a live Facebook post on Friday (December 13) evening by Emma Christoforou, who co-ordinated this year’s event once again with the assistance of her mother, OSAS’s Joanne Colville, and dedicated long time volunteer Jean Posthuma. This year 19 baskets were offered with varying values and included a myriad of wonderful items including Toronto Maple Leaf tickets, a full harness, various horse supplies, cosmetics and much more. The following is a list of this year’s baskets and their lucky winner. Emma will reach out to the winners to organize pick up and/or delivery. Thanks again to everyone for their participation in this always popular fundraiser. Our horses appreciate your support. 2024 Santa’s Second Chance Raffle Winners BASKET WINNER Basket 1 Nat Steacy Get Western Two $25 Pleasant Ridge Gift Certificates, The Hat Effect, Bushel Barn and $100 Greenhawk gift certificate. Basket 2 Zara Thurgood Leaf Tickets Two tickets to Toronto Maple Leafs (January 29, 2025). Value approx. $600. Basket 3 Sue Brookes Marlies Night Four tickets to Toronto Marlies vs. Bakersfield Condors (December 14, 2024). Basket 4 Dianne Currie Date Night Two gift certificates to Jakes Oyster House ($50 each), Yuk Yuks at Grand River, $100 Keg & $50 & $25 multi restaurant cards. Basket 5 Cathy Walsh Wildwinds 4 golf passes to Wildwinds Golf Course, value $320. Basket 6 Cathy Walsh Lucky Lotto $170 worth of lottery tickets. Basket 7 Sheri Whitworth Preserves Assorted homemade preserves, heated blanket, holiday cutting board, dish towels and three in one wireless charging station. Basket 8 Derek Reid Granite Ridge Four golf passes to Granite Ridge golf club. Approx. value $360. Basket 9 Debi O’Brien Moran Chocolate Lovers Large assortment of a variety of chocolates. Basket 10 Nat Steacy Equine Oil 1 18L bucket Smart Earth Camelina Oil Basket 11 Rena Soundy Girls’ Night Assortment of wine, coolers, shots. Value $170. Basket 12 Sally Roberts Chevy GMC travel mug, t-shirt & toque. Basket 13 Bethany Bahr Self-Care/Beauty Basket A myriad of wonderful self-care and beauty products. Value: $1,700. Basket 14 Nat Steacy Horse Care Two gallons Smart Earth Camelina Oil, gift certificate, clean kit, riding socks and $100 Greenhawk gift card. Basket 15 Rena Soundy Happy Gilmore OSAS golf merchandise, golf balls and ball cap. Basket 16 Chris Ruhl Complete Harness Includes blind bridle, lines, handholds, Buxton, race halter (winner can select colour). Basket 17 Arabella Kanter Horse Lovers $100 gift card to MareFlare equestrian & a variety of horse care products. Basket 18 Arlene McIntrye Racing Night Dinner for two at Mohawk, Mohawk swag & a handmade wooden clock. Basket 19 Alyson Roberts Cosmo For Her A wide variety of women’s cosmetics. Value: $900. 
The Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society is pleased to once again host a Christmas Second Chance Raffle named to reflect our mission to give retired Standardbreds a second chance and forever home. How it works is you view the 19 baskets being offered this year at the Facebook page Santa's Second Chance Raffles. Select the ones you wish to bid on and purchase however many tickets you want for it. Ticket prices are $2 or $5 depending upon the basket. Brief descriptions may be found below, fuller descriptions on the FB page. Tickets may be purchased up until December 12 at midnight. The winners will be drawn the following evening live on Facebook (time to be determined based on racing schedules). To pay please send e-transfer to santassecondchanceraffles@gmail.com or give cash to either Joanne Colville or Emma Christoforou at Mohawk or Flamboro. We encourage folks to purchase their tickets early to help our volunteers stay organized. Any questions please call or text Joanne at 905-339-6748 or email osashorses@gmail.com. Thanks to everyone who supports this fundraiser, contributed to the baskets and helps behind the scenes. Our horses appreciate everyone’s efforts. 2024 Santa’s Second Chance Raffle Baskets Basket 1 Get Western - $2/ticket Two $25 Pleasant Ridge Gift Certificates, The Hat Effect, Bushel Barn and $100 Greenhawk gift certificate. Basket 2 Leaf Tickets - $5/ticket Two tickets to Toronto Maple Leafs (January 29, 2025). Value approx. $600. Basket 3 Marlies Night - $2/ticket Four tickets to Toronto Marlies vs. Bakersfield Condors (December 14, 2024). Basket 4 Date Night - $2/ticket Two gift certificates to Jakes Oyster House ($50 each), Yuk Yuks at Grand River, $100 Keg & $50 & $25 multi restaurant cards. Basket 5 Wildwinds - $2/ticket 4 golf passes to Wildwinds Golf Course, value $320. Basket 6 Lucky Lotto - $2/ticket $170 worth of lottery tickets. Basket 7 Preserves - $2/ticket Assorted homemade preserves, heated blanket, holiday cutting board, dish towels and three in one wireless charging station. Basket 8 Granite Ridge - $2/ticket Four golf passes to Granite Ridge golf club. Approx. value $360. Basket 9 Chocolate Lovers - $2/ticket Large assortment of a variety of chocolates. Basket 10 Equine Oil - $2/ticket 1 18L bucket Smart Earth Camelina Oil Basket 11 Girls’ Night - $2/ticket Assortment of wine, coolers, shots. Basket 12 Chevy - $2/ticket GMC travel mug, t-shirt & toque. Basket 13 Self-Care/Beauty Basket - $2/ticket A myriad of wonderful self-care and beauty products. Value: $1,700. Basket 14 Horse Care - $2/ticket Two gallons Smart Earth Camelina Oil, gift certificate, clean kit, riding socks and $100 Greenhawk gift card. Basket 15 Happy Gilmore - $2/ticket OSAS golf merchandise, golf balls and ball cap. Basket 16 Complete Harness - $5/ticket Includes blind bridle, lines, handholds, Buxton, race halter (winner can select colour). Basket 17 Horse Lovers - $2/ticket $100 gift card to MareFlare equestrian & a variety of horse care products. Basket 18 Racing Night - $2/ticket Dinner for two at Mohawk, Mohawk swag & a handmade wooden clock. Basket 19 Cosmo For Her - $2/ticket A wide variety of women’s cosmetics. Value: $900.
The Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society is pleased to offer an additional way to donate funds which benefits everyone. By donating stocks, securities or mutual funds in kind it allows the person donating to claim a higher rate on their taxes in addition to supporting OSAS. Essentially a win/win for all. “We have arranged that OSAS can now accept and issue charitable receipts for stock donations. For stocks with large accrued gains this is a terrific opportunity to support a great cause and get a great tax benefit,” explained long time owner Clay Horner. OSAS recently found a forever home for A Rockaway Bay, a half-brother to Clay’s talented pacer Doonbeg. It’s best to make the donation before the end of a calendar year to be able to claim it on the current year’s taxes. To learn more about this opportunity please click here . OSAS is working with the Royal Bank of Canada on this venture. To access the information to make a donation please click here .
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