From flying airplanes, to designing computer programs, to sharing his innovative ideas about the future of horse racing, Tom Durand is a horseman, and then some. By Chris Lomon

He views the sport he loves through a unique lens, seeing it as fractured and fragile, brilliant and beautiful. But, for all its struggles and glory, Tom Durand soldiers on, steadfast in his desire to see standardbred racing succeed.

There is no doubting the passion the longtime horseman has for the industry, the very one he has been part of for four decades.

And, there is no mistaking his overwhelming desire to see it thrive well beyond the day when he finally calls it a career.

“This industry is not just about horses, it is about all those who make the show go on,” said Durand. “Horse racing, from my full-time perspective, is not just a job. It is a lifestyle, and that lifestyle takes the commitment of long hours, seven-day workweeks and the ability to accept disappointments on a daily basis. We’re a different breed of humans. Some call us crazy, but we all share this same passion. We are all working our butts off trying to come up with the next champion. And that is because of the huge gratification you can get when it happens.

“There is something unique about being in a business with so many friends, yet we are all competitors going after the same prizes. The camaraderie is amazing, the lifestyle is unusual, and it is hard to understand all this unless you have done it.”

And, Durand has done it. In fact, he’s done it and still does it very well.

Since the late 1970s, the he has made a name for himself as both a trainer and a driver.

In 1977, Durand sat in the sulky for 20 races, winning twice, to go along with two seconds, and two thirds, for $654 in purse earnings. As of August 18, 2015, he’s posted 272 lifetime driving victories, accompanied by nearly $4.7 million in earnings.

As a trainer, he’s sent out 244 winners, who have netted $6.6 million.

There has been no shortage of memorable moments for Durand, most notably with millionaire filly Casual Breeze and trotting star, Whiskey Tax, the latter who finished second in the 2011 Hambletonian for trainer Durand and driver Randy Waples.

“Training is better for me,” he offered. “Training is less stressful, but has more daily headaches. Driving has all the glory attached, but I feel bad when I make a mistake.”

The best part of driving? “Sneaking a longshot through that was invisible to everyone. Doesn’t happen very often.”

The best part of training? “The joy of taking a raw product, a relatively unhandled yearling, and carefully moulding him into a future champion.”

Yet, wherever he happens to find himself, in the bike or watching someone else at the helm, Durand enjoys the ride.

He’s hoping that state of mind doesn’t change any time soon, although he admits recent hard times within the industry have taken its toll on him.

“Perhaps the passion is waning a little these last couple of years,” said Durand. “Our industry has been beaten down so badly by the short-sighted bureaucrats, that even I had doubts that we could survive as an industry. Unfortunately, we have lost a lot of good people, owners, trainers and caretakers.”

While he remains very much an old-school type, Durand is also a visionary of sorts when it comes to the sport. He’s someone with big, sometimes bold, thoughts, on ways to increase its popularity.

“The horses should be more accessible to the public,” he noted. “Remembering the days at old Greenwood Raceway where spectators could get right up to the paddock. As I remember, there were always hundreds of fans wanting to get into the action as the horses came out for post parade. And while I am on the topic, a track like Mohawk should keep the horses parading on the front stretch before the race. We should keep the product that we are expecting fans to bet on, right in front of them, not half a mile away.”

Qualifiers have long been a thorn in his side.

“Our qualifying rules have been my pet peeve for years,” said Durand. “Some aspects are archaic to say the least. Good horses are being forced to re-qualify for silly little mistakes. It is a waste of energy on many levels because the qualifying standard is so slow compared to the race speed where the mistake was made. The horse undoubtedly re-qualifies (albeit at much slower speed), and what information does that give the bettors? Next to none! Here’s a good solution: Have the option of entering a race with the draw for an outside post position or re-qualify if he chooses. Saves energy, saves horses, makes sense.”

He’d also love to see sweeping changes at smaller racetracks.

Said Durand: “Everyone agrees we need more wagering. The handle at the B-tracks is pitiful. All we have is a few two-dollar bettors having some fun. Serious money stays away because any decent bet size severely affects the odds. So this conundrum goes on for years and years and nobody has a good solution. I really believe that people will definitely bet more money if a perceived reward is available. My solution is to seed the win pools. With money drawn off the purse account, we need to open wagering with say $100 to win on each horse. Some horsemen will be pissed off, because they feel their money is being stolen. But they need to look at the big picture and the good for all, and the future.

“The seed money is like putting up free money to be won. It’s a no brainer for gamblers. Gambling will increase immensely. Hell, I may even start throwing a few bucks at it, and I am not a gambler. I think this will generate so much interest that the take will exceed the seed. We will have created a whole new group of gamblers. Of course it could be heavily promoted, and started on just one race per night, just to get it going. Please, please someone tell me why this will not work? I have suggested this in the past only to fall on deaf ears with no comment. Am I missing something?”

The standardbred world is never far removed from Durand’s mind.

There are, however, times when he’s able to free himself of any such thoughts, most notably, when he takes to the skies in the pilot’s seat.

“Everybody needs an outlet and one of mine is flying,” noted Durand. “It must be in my blood because my dad was a pilot. I got my license in 1982 while training horses in South Florida. Horses by morning, air by afternoon. Had my license in 30 days. Over the years I have gotten an Instrument Rating and a Multi-Engine rating. After owning six previous planes, I currently have downsized to an economical Cessna 172RG Cutlass. It satisfies my needs for short excursions and to Florida. Just last month, my wife June and I went to Oshkosh, Wisconsin for the largest fly-in airshow in the world. We camped under the wing. Another very memorable day trip was Key West Florida last winter. But the real reason for having the plane is to be able to go to the sale in Kentucky, or race in New York for example. The time you can save is amazing. Horse racing is far from my mind when I am flying. While it is relaxing, it still requires total concentration.”

His other passion is computer programming. And while Microsoft need not worry about any competition, it’s become a big-time hobby for Durand, who has used his skills to make improvements within racing circles.

High-profile trainer Ron Burke was one of the beneficiaries of Durand’s expertise.

“That was my other outlet,” said Durand. “I took my first computer course at University of Guelph in the mid- 70’s and was hooked. Through the development of the PC I was tinkering and writing programs. So I kind of grew up with the invention of the PC and was fortunate to have a deep understanding of what makes them tick. I wrote some programs for horsemen and stables, but truthfully, my market was about a billionth the size of Bill Gates’ market. With limited time to spend, my computer endeavors were also limited. But people still called me to help them out and that is what happened with the Burkes. Their billing system was insufficient to handle the 270 horses and multiple partnerships. Sylvia Burke tells me that I gave her life back to her, and it feels nice that I was able to help them.”

Said Ron: “The computer system that he built helped our billing process unbelievably. He’s a great person and a complete horseman that really develops horses the right way.”

One of those horses would be Luck O The Irish, a three-year-old trotting colt, trained by Durand for his wife June. The Holiday Road sophomore recently posted his third straight victory and his first Gold Series win of the season at Mohawk Racetrack, stopping the teletimer at 1:55.2… boosting the career earnings of the homebred to $221,250.

Although he wasn’t at the controls, Durand was effusive after the win.

“He was a very shy boy as a yearling, very shy,” he recalled. “I wouldn’t say nervous, but very shy. And I think for that reason I didn’t have people begging to be partners on him. He didn’t strike you as a brave horse that would be such a good racehorse. Other than that, he’s been pretty straightforward. He’s kind of a dream horse in many ways. We kind of love him.

“Most everybody already knows this, but the success of our stable is mostly due to June,” he continued. “It is her extreme dedication that has brought us many nice horses. Sure I do most of the training, but the real work and the real dedication goes to someone that can work tireless 18-hour days to make sure all the tedious yet important jobs are taken care of. She loves horses and that is what it takes. And I think they love her, too.” It’s a patient hand that has guided Durand over time, in both good times and bad.

He wouldn’t have it any other way.

“You should be in this industry because you like horses, and you like horse racing, and you have patience to accept the downs and ups. Not because you want to make a lot of fast money. When you have the patience to make the right decisions along the way, the rewards will eventually come. The old saying is still true: ‘Look after your horse and he will look after you.’”

And, speaking of wise words, Durand points to one particular bit of advice that still resonates with him to this very day.

“My dad Ron has this saying that if he said it once he said it a thousand times. ‘If a job is worth doing, it’s worth doing right.’ I have always carried this principle forward and I don’t think it was bad advice.”