Douglas Ferguson, a prominent standardbred breeder who raised many Maritime champions, including Gold Cup and Saucer winner Kilkerran Ingle and two-time

Atlantic Canada Horse of the Year Kilkerran Fury, passed away Saturday, May 23 at his farm in Bay Head, NS. He was 74 years old.

Jack Ferguson, former manager of the Atlantic Standardbred Breeders Association, said his brother died of a heart attack while sitting at the kitchen table after completing his morning farm chores.

Ferguson raised hundreds of horses at his Northern Nova Scotia farm, many of them sired by Oil Count, an unraced son of Oil Burner. They raced under the farm name Kilkerran.
Kilkerran Ingle became the first Maritime-bred to break the 1:55 speed barrier on a Maritime track when he set a track record of 1:54.4h for Clare MacDonald at Truro Raceway in 1992. Ingle was the last Maritime-bred to win the coveted Gold Cup and Saucer when Emmons MacKay drove him to a 1:56 victory in 1992 for owner-breeder Ferguson.

Ingle’s full brother Kilkerran Fury, a handsome black stallion by Oil Count out of Libby Time Riggs, was a multi sires stakes winner, capturing the Atlantic Sires Stakes pacing colt crown at both two and three as well as the Maritime Breeders championship.

Owned by Wathan Piers of Pugwash, Kilkerran Fury is the richest ever Maritime-bred performer in Maritime racing with $220,000 in earnings, all of it at regional racetracks.

Kilkerran Scot, another farm product, has lifetime earnings of more than $500,000 and is the richest Maritime-bred of all-time.

His other Maritime champions include the Tarport Ervin filly Kilkerran Ella, and the Newport Robbi colt Kilkerran Robbi, whose $16,000 yearling price set a Maritime sales standard that lasted for some 12 years.

Ferguson is survived by his wife Donna, two sons, five daughters, three brothers and a sister.

Visitation will be at the Bay Head home on Wednesday, May 27 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. with funeral services at the Bay Head Community Church on Thursday, May 28 at 2:00 p.m.

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Douglas Ferguson.

(Atlantic Post Calls)