Shadow Place, the former top-class pacer in Ontario that won the 2017 Gold Cup & Saucer, has returned from south of the border. The nine-year-old son of Shadow Play has seen limited action over the course of the last two racing seasons, and he is now back on Canadian soil with Katie Miller, who couldn't be happier.

“He’s been my boy since Day 1,” Miller has said. “He’s the typical horse a girl falls in love with -- a big, shiny, black beautiful animal!”

“My cousin, Carl Stafford, whom I’m very close with, owned him with Kyle (Fellows) when he first came in the barn four years ago. He was Kyle’s first sub-1:50 win (1:49.1 at Mohawk, on June 25, 2016). I still remember that night and I still remember how nervous I got every time he raced.

"And, obviously, growing up on the east coast, the Gold Cup & Saucer is the holy grail. So, to take him there, and 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. And he hardly does anything like an angel. He is actually a major pain,” Miller laughed.

“And then Kyle got the call from someone interested in buying 'Shadow.' He was racing in the WEG Preferred at the time and they were interested in him for Yonkers. My heart was broken and I couldn’t even go to the barn once I knew he was sold. I truly didn’t go back to the barn until he left. I watched every race. My family, my partner Lou, we all followed him, and Kyle always promised me we could keep him as a pet when he was done racing. So now he’s found his way back to me -- I own him.”

So what’s next for Shadow Place?

“He’s in training at the moment,” Miller explained. “If he makes it back as a racehorse, an amateur horse, or any sort of racehorse at all, that would be great. If not, he’s going to get fatter than he already is, and maybe get broke to saddle. Shadow is my pride and joy. His best interest is my only concern. I look forward to getting to the barn and jogging him, and I love how much he loves his job, even though he may be reaching ‘grandpa’ territory.”

#LouKnows Chimes In On Racing

“There’s a chance the time off may not be as kind to the horses that were sharp before this break,” Lou Sorella, AKA #LouKnows, a horse owner and guest handicapper at The Raceway at Western Fair District, has said. “The horses that were in need of some time off certainly got a well-deserved rest, but I think when we come back it’ll be a pretty level playing field for everyone. Here’s hoping everyone follows the guidelines that will keep us safe and racing for the remainder of this 2020 season and beyond.”

Sorella teamed up with Chatham’s Don MacLellan and Rockwood’s Katie Miller to claim Casimir Rumrunner for a $15,000 tag back on March 7 at Flamboro Downs.

“Don actually scouted him out,” Sorella said. “He liked the horse and wanted to partner with Katie and I, so we said 'sure.' We’ve got a great partnership and we’re happy to have our trainer, Kyle Fellows, looking after things. He lists the driver and finds the races. We tried him on the big track at Mohawk and he just missed in his first start for us, finishing second. Then we bumped him up to the $20,000 claimer and he held his own against that group, finishing third. And then racing shut down. Now we wait to see where he fits as racing returns.”

Co-owner Miller is fairly high on Casimir Rumrunner as well. “He’s an angel and does nothing wrong,” the Cape Breton native has said. “He’s got a very nice way of going and literally only wears tendon boots. We love him!”

Casimir Rumrunner had been at The Raceway at Western Fair District during the latter portion of 2019 for trainer/driver Paul MacKenzie. He’s always been a very slick-gaited, free-legged pacer, and now it appears as though he’s taken a liking to the big track surface at Woodbine Mohawk Park. We’ll look forward to seeing him back in action soon!

(Shannon 'Sugar' Doyle for The Raceway at Western Fair District)