In this week's Rewind, Robert Smith recalls a couple of successful horsemen from 50 years or so ago who worked together to effectively blend the two jobs of training and driving. Their combined stable made it all work.

Today's Rewind is a bit of a follow-up from a recent column that discussed the time when drivers were not always trainers and the popularization of catch drivers as a specialized profession. In the early days of racing, most people who drove horses just naturally trained them as well. The reverse was true to a certain extent, but "hired" drivers were always around.

Once referred to in a racing journal as "The Dynamic Duo," two well-known horsemen blended into the system that saw drivers as non-trainers, and trainers as non-drivers. That duo was Michael "Mike" Guitard and Raymond Moreau. They teamed up for a number of years as a successful combo, each concentrating on their specialty.

At this time (about 1977), Moreau, a native of Quebec City, was in his mid-40s and Guitard, a native of Bathurst, N.B., was just 30. Moreau had been a regular on the Ontario Jockey Club (OJC) circuit for about seven years, by then in his second stint at the "big leagues." Moreau told a reporter, "The first time I tried to become a regular at the Toronto tracks, I came here from Quebec with some pretty cheap stock. They just wouldn't do." He quickly found out he was not yet ready.

"I went back 'home' knowing that I needed to come up with better horses. I came back again about seven years ago and have been here ever since, pretty well." His second return trip included a special element, and that was a number of horses for noted owner Gratien Deschenes of Quebec City. That group included the likes of Hocquard, Barons Boy and Bob Hilton, to name a few.

Raymond came about his profession naturally, as his father Charles was a well-known horseman around Montreal. However, his first interest in the horse kingdom was with saddle horses. By the age of about 14, he went to work for Alf Cote, a seasoned trainer at Quebec tracks and father of Benoit. From there, he remained with the harness stock.

Brets Lively Lady

In early 1977, the Moreau-Guitard team had a special stable member that established a new Canadian record for a claim amount. The highest-priced claim in Canadian harness racing history was established when Brets Lively Lady was haltered by the Moreau and Guitard stable, along with partner Al Leneck, for $45,000. (In 2026 dollars, that is approximately $230,400.) This three-year-old daughter of Bret Hanover had previously been in the Junior West stable. 

With Moreau training (of course) and Guitard driving, the new stable member began to pay immediate dividends. Along with a few others like Bret John and Invitation Trot, they were definitely a rising force on the tough OJC circuit. There was even talk of perhaps, if things continued to go well, that they would look for a small acreage close to Greenwood and Mohawk to use as their home base.

Raymond Moreau and Michael Guitard from years ago.

The duo of Moreau and driver Guitard was a good example of how two people, both with specialized talents and ambitions, worked well together and with considerable success. I believe that Mike Guitard eventually transitioned back into training and then used current drivers for his charges.

In the modern day, it is quite possible that a popular and currently "hot" driver can often be asked to drive several horses in a particular race. They, of course, have to make a decision, as so far I don't believe anyone has come up with a way to drive two at a time!

Quote For The Week: "Silence is underappreciated." - Unknown

Who Is It?

Can you name this young lad as he goes about his daily chores, perhaps at Connaught Park? Let us know who you think he is.

Who Else Is It? #1

Can you identify this trio of award-winning young drivers as they receive awards from Sales Rep. Dave Groombridge of Carling Brewery?

Who Else Is It? #2

Can you identify either or both of these fellows from about 50 years ago?

BLAST FROM THE PAST

It looks like drivers were a lot slimmer in the old days! Oh wait a minute, there is no driver in this old photo finish taken at the Charlottetown Driving Park in 1960. The driver was injured, according to the information included.

(The correct answers will be posted here by Robert as a comment in a few days.)