Influential harness racing figure Donald P. Booth of Manotick, Ont. passed away suddenly on Saturday, January 10 at the age of 89
.
Born September 5, 1919 in Ottawa, this former hotel owner left an indelible imprint on the Canadian and International standardbred racing scene. Serving over six decades in various roles as owner, breeder, trainer and administrator, Donald Booth played a key role in the implementation of blood typing as a condition for Canadian horse registration.
Booth held many roles in the industry, including President of the Canadian Standardbred Horse Society, Vice-President of the Ontario Harness Horse Association, District 7 Director of the Canadian Trotting Association, Chair of the Ottawa Valley Futurity and also sat on the Rideau Carleton Advisory Board. He was also instrumental in establishing the Canadian Classic Yearling Sale.
Honoured as Harness Horsemen International’s Man of the Year (1981) and winner of the Canadian Standardbred Horse Society Achievement Award (1992), Booth was inducted into the Ottawa Sports Hall Of Fame in 2005.
Donald Booth trained Canadian trotting mare of 1975, Gaelic Almahurst, as well as Brisco Maud and the sensational pacing mare Nines Wild.
Further details are funeral arrangements to follow.
Please join SC in offering our condolences to the family and friends of Donald P. Booth
My deepest condolences to
My deepest condolences to the family
Alain
I was saddened to learn that
I was saddened to learn that Don has passed on. Anyone who raced, or still races, in Ottawa owes Don a debt of gratitude. He spent endless hours working for the individual horseman and the industry. Many of the behind-the-scenes kindnesses he orchestrated for horsemen will never be known -- he preferred it that way. His sense of fairness and equitability tempered his firm views on topics of importance to the industry.
Don was less involved in the last few years, although still preparing yearlings for the sales with his usual eye for detail. Thank you Don, you will be missed.
Harness Racing has lost an
Harness Racing has lost an outspoken friend and warrior. Even at age 89, Don never lost his energy and enthusiasm for racing. Our condolences to family.
Respectfully Yours,
Howard & Lynda Portelance
i was surprised and sad to
i was surprised and sad to hear of the passing of mr.booth. don was a respected and often sought after person for advise at any level of harness racing. breeding.racing,medical solutions and just plain old fix them up remedies for horses that were off or having a problem staying sound he was at the qualifiers on a regular basis and was always available to discuss any thing to do with harness racing.
harness racing has lost a valuable and loyal supporter.
Mr. Booth made a great
Mr. Booth made a great contribution to the Standardbred industry not only in Ottawa but across Canada. His presence will be missed. He will be remembered for many years to come.
Asmat and Nancy Malik
Spencerville, Ontario
I am always thankful for the
I am always thankful for the people who dedicated their whole life to the sport especially in cases like this where people went out of their way to lay the groundwork for what we have today. If we had a couple more people like Donald in the 80's maybe we wouldn't have fallen behind the thoroughbreds.