It's a rare and noteworthy feat for a Standardbred horse to reach 100 wins, and it's equally noteworthy when a fan of harness racing and longtime participant reaches the century mark.



Jean Feagan (pictured above at the head of Jay Bee Blaze) was born on July 11, 1923 and she celebrated her 100th birthday today with a gathering of family and friends in Goderich, Ont. That Feagan name is certainly familiar to those that have followed the harness racing industry in Ontario, as Jean and her late husband Ben were the aunt and uncle of Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Famer Ron Feagan and his brother, Gary.



From early pony races in Huron County, Jean has developed a lifelong love affair with horse racing. Over the years, Jean & Ben managed a stable of Standardbreds with as many as 14 in their care. Jean herself has 20 training wins according to Standardbred Canada records (ie. dating back to 1992 for training statistics) with her last win coming nearly 20 years ago at the age of 80 with pacer E Mail Address in August 2003 at Clinton Raceway. Jean still has E Mail Address, now 25 years old, on her farm along with Whats Your Wish -- a 19-year-old son of Grinfromeartoear, pictured below, who she purchased as a yearling in 2005.

According to her niece Lynn Davies, Jean's favourite horse over the years would be a homebred by the name of Change To Rayne. The son of Springer - Keep The Change was bred by Jean and Ben, and developed and trained by Ben nearly throughout his career. He made 129 starts, 122 for the Feagans until being claimed at the age of 10. A winner of 22 races in his career, Change To Rayne's best season came at the age of four when he was named 1994 Pacer of the Year at Elmira Raceway.



The Feagans were also honoured by Western Fair Raceway with a special lifetime achievement award, presented by Dave & Cheryl Wall.



"Jean's been a horse lover her entire life," said Davies. "She still lives in the farmhouse with the help of her friends and family."



Davies agreed that the environment on the farm, surrounded by horses, is a positive factor and influence in the life of Jean Feagan.



"It's something she has definitely expressed over the years that she wants to stay here. She's been fortunate that she's been able to stay here, and she's done very well, as you know, with the advancing years she has that help...her daughter as a daily visitor or grandchildren that come at different times of the week.



"I'm not able to visit quite as often regularly, but we still stay in touch. We can have a telephone conversation, 45 minutes to an hour. And she's right there with me."



That longevity is also fostered by rich connections with the people in her life, both inside and outside of the Standardbred world.



"It's the people contact and it's a wide variety of people, not just the horse industry. Certainly she loves to stay in touch about the horses every time I see or talk to her. It's 'How are your horses doing? Where are you racing next?' That kind of thing."



Her compassion and interest in the activities of others resonates with Davies.



"She is one of the most well respected and regarded individuals. She's got a heart as big as this whole world, and the people in her life have kept her young at heart. Her great grandchildren call her 'Grandma Horsey' and her grandchildren have also adopted that phrase over the years."



Please join Standardbred Canada in wishing Jean Feagan a happy 100th birthday.