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.