Jean Beaulieu is throwing in the towel. One of Quebec's most successful trainers of the past decade said the

summer meet at Tioga Downs will be his last in the game.

"Too many headaches, too much wait-and-see. I'm 48. I can't continue like this, working for no return. I sold my farm. I gave away my broodmares. I still love it and I'll miss it, but it's time to step away. I can't be a gypsy all my life," said Beaulieu from Pompano Park, where his stable is currently based.

Beaulieu's partner, Micheline Gaudet, has accepted a job in the finance department of a car dealership in Laval and will return to Quebec with their daughter Noemie, 5. Beaulieu will commute between Montreal and Tioga Downs until the end of that meet, then rejoin them permanently.

He won't say what he'll be doing, but it won't be in racing.

"Montreal's where I want to live, but nobody wants horses there anymore," he said.

Beaulieu's original plan had been to take his stable from Florida to Rockingham Park, where he's had considerable success the past few years, but Rockingham isn't reopening this year.

He took that as a sign, after what he'd already experienced in Montreal.

"Someone's trying to tell me something about the future," he said. "At this point, I'm ready to listen."

(A Trot Insider exclusive by Paul Delean)