For the first time in more than 30 years, Randy Zane has zero horses

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Once one of Quebec's biggest owners, with a stable that got as large as 36 head, Zane sold the filly Remachable at auction in Ontario last weekend, had his top horse Blue Boy claimed for $75,000 (U.S.) at Yonkers last week, and then signed over his eight remaining broodmares and young horses to his longtime friend, driver Denis St. Pierre, and Quebec breeding farm Ferme SOS, which stood his former stallion Lincoln Parke.

"I'll miss it but it's also a relief. It just wasn't the same for me. The Attractions Hippiques experience totally soured me," said Zane, who bought his first horse at age 19.

Besides Lincoln Parke, his all-time favourite horse, Zane owned quality pacers like Gimmebackmybullets and Fox Valley Tribal, all six-figure purchases. Blue Boy cost him $165,000.

"Even if harness racing came back in Quebec, there won't be a place for horses of this calibre, which I prefer. Having them race in Ontario, watching on TV or the internet, it's just not the same. I liked being at the track, sitting outside with my dad, watching them race. Not going to the races, you lose interest," he said.

Zane's stable raced at Pompano and Saratoga in the wake of Attractions Hippiques' collapse but the thrill was gone and he finally decided to pack it in. "It wasn't giving me pleasure anymore. Out of curiosity, I still check the entries to see how my former horses are doing. I still love the sport. But I put a lot into it, and there were more lows than peaks. At this point, I'm happy to be out."

(A Trot Insider exclusive by Paul Delean)