With a particularly harsh winter finally giving way to spring, Standardbred owner and breeder Doug Millard has ample reason for optimism in 2021 — both on and off the track.

Millard, who has been involved in harness racing for the last 47 years, is on the road to recovery from a catastrophic spine fracture he suffered in January after a slip and fall amid icy conditions.

"His spine was unstable, so he had to have surgery," Millard's wife, Vicki, recently told Trot Insider. "He had his top seven vertebrae fused and repaired. Unfortunately, there were some complications, and that led to a second surgery."

After being laid up in hospital in London, Ont., for most of January and all of February, Doug Millard was moved to a rehabilitation clinic at the hospital closer to his Woodstock, Ont. home.

"They've really done a lot for him," Vicki continued. "He's been there since the first of March, and they just can't believe his progress since then."

In the three weeks since, he has improved to the point where discharge is imminent, and he'll be able to continue his recovery in environs more to his liking — around his horses and with his family. Understandably, due to the current public health climate, visitation was severely restricted until recently. And Vicki was able to visit Doug in rehab, horse-centric discussion was predictably a major component of the time they shared.

"I've only been able to visit in the last two weeks, so that helped a lot, too, just to be able to see him," she said. "We read all the Standardbred news together. It gives him something to think about besides what's happening in the hospital."

Vicki & Doug Millard (3rd and 2nd from R) in the winner's circle after Captaintreacherous won the 2013 Pepsi North America Cup

As one might expect for an individual who lives and breathes Standardbreds, his racehorses have proven the perfect diversion during a sometimes arduous rehabilitation process.

One of his horses — Big Myrtle — gave Doug reason to smile on March 11, when she won in the first round of the Blizzard Pacing Series at Woodbine Mohawk Park. The Millards are hopeful that Doug will be discharged this week in order to get home in time to watch the four-year-old daughter of Big Jim race in the $40,400 Blizzard final on Friday (March 25), something he could not do for her first-round win. But, Doug was able to at least take in the soundtrack to the developing mare's fifth career win.

"He wasn't able to punch into his phone or his tablet, so I just held the phone up to the speaker," Vicki recounted. "Hearing Ken Middleton's voice is pretty grounding. He really enjoyed that. ... He's making good progress, but if it wasn't for those horses — they really gave him something to look forward to and listen to."

In addition to potential stakes performer Big Myrtle, Doug and trainer Chantal Mitchell have another horse slated to race this week: Patricks Way, a three-year-old Father Patrick colt, is slated to make his second career start in the coming weeks after a late break in stride marred his maiden voyage.

"I said, 'Your goal is to be home for Patricks Way and Big Myrtle,' so we're hoping!" Vicki added, with a laugh.

Doug, who owns all or some of roughly 140 horses — including racehorses, babies and broodmares — by Vicki's estimation, also has a couple three-year-olds in training with Murray Brethour: Pacingdownadream has three starts under his harness to date and has recorded a pair of wins at Flamboro Downs, and B Vanish is set to make her career debut Monday (March 22) in a $15,000 maiden event at Woodbine Mohawk Park with Bob McClure at the lines.

While Doug Millard may still have a long path ahead of him in terms of recovery once he returns home, horses — as they've done from afar — will continue to give him something to look forward to.

"We'll continue with the rehabilitation here at home as long as he needs it, and just rest and relaxation," Vicki said. "It'll be so nice, because we'll be able to go outside when he comes home. And we've got a new baby in the backyard — a new All Bets Off filly from Bonita Beach — so he'll be able to hang over the fence and watch the filly. The filly will make him feel good.... We're looking on the right side of things now."