A funeral service will be held Saturday in Napierville, Quebec, for restaurateur, horse breeder and bon vivant Michel Bourgault, 77, who passed away on Saturday, March 5 after a long illness.

For decades, Bourgault, who was originally from the Normandy region of France, operated a restaurant called ‘Le Trou Normand’ in St-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Que. Horsemen who dined there still rave about the hospitality, and what one described as the ‘industrial quantities’ of calvados that Bourgault served to his guests.

A longtime friend of celebrated French horseman Jean-Pierre Dubois, Bourgault also bred Standardbreds. The best known was probably Idole Normand, a Promising Catch mare who earned almost $400,000 and in 2001 captured the $225,000 Prix du Quebec final at Hippodrome de Montreal.

Bourgault also was a long-serving director of ATAQ, the provincial horsemen’s association.

Rick Karper, secretary-treasurer of ATAQ, said Bourgault was “a larger than life, proud horse breeder. He would follow the careers of all the horses he bred, well after he sold them. All his horses carried the name ‘Normand,’ named after the area of France that he came from. I owned several, and when I changed Kerria Normand’s name to ‘Gugus,’ he was quite upset with me even though she went on to be a winner and ultimately, the dam of a two-time Breeders' Cup champion.

"I served on several industry boards with Michel and I made an effort to sit next to him at any dinner meeting and ordering whatever he ordered. He knew how to read a menu. Of course, every meal was followed by calvados. He will be missed."

Bourgault is survived by his wife, Paulette; daughters, Isabelle and Patricia; and son, Sylvain. Visitation will be Friday, March 11 from 7 to 10 p.m. at the René Fortin funeral home, 435 St-Jacques Street, Napierville, with the funeral service Saturday, March 12 at 2 p.m. at Eglise de Napierville.

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Michel Bourgault.

(A Trot Insider Exclusive by Paul Delean)