After trading in the hockey jersey for a set of colours, driver Todd Ratchford has taken to the track just as well as he did the ice. After his first complete year in the sulky, Ratchford was named a 2024 O’Brien Award finalist in the Future Star category.
“It was a nice surprise,” the 29-year-old Ratchford told Trot Insider on being named a finalist for the Future Star category. “For my first full year of driving, I was really happy with the stats I put up. It was a great year.”
Ratchford began driving in 2023, when he competed from March to December racking up 26 victories and $304,617 from 340 drives. From there, Ratchford’s driving career accelerated in 2024, cracking the $1 million mark in earnings and winning 94 times while getting the call 854 times and establishing himself throughout Ontario.
“I didn’t come into the year with many goals,” said Ratchford. “Once the year got going and I started to see how things were progressing, then I picked the goal of $1 million in earnings and 100 wins. I came up a little short in wins, but I’m still very happy with the 94 that I got.”
Among other goals Ratchford had set for himself was wanting to compete in Sires Stakes, whether it be Ontario or in the states. Not only did Ratchford compete in Sires Stakes, he won a leg of New York Sire Stakes aboard the Matt Bax-trained Winning Alliance as she fended off Senorita Palema and Date Night Hanover to score in a career best 1:53 at Vernon Downs.
“Winning that was really the highlight of my year,” recalled Ratchford. “It was the highest purse race I’ve won and to look at the win photo and see the two guys behind me are Ake Svanstedt and Dexter Dunn, that was really an ‘oh wow’ kind of moment for me.”
Ratchford got the call on Winning Alliance for all 15 starts of her sophomore campaign. The filly also hit the board in an additional pair of New York Sire Stakes legs, while also starting in the Casual Breeze, Simcoe and Elegantimage in a campaign during which the daughter of Chapter Seven-Perfect Alliance won seven times and banked $138,184.
“She was everything to me this year,” continued Ratchford. “To not only win the stakes race, but I won five in a row with her over the summer. She was awesome.”
Perhaps only fitting that Ratchford’s season was highlighted by a Bax trainee, as Ratchford credits the Bax family for getting him started as he returned to the sport of racing following his stint in professional hockey.
“When I got done playing hockey, I was looking for a job,” continued Ratchford. “Pat Hudon put me in contact with Matt Bax and after he showed me around the farm and how everything was done, I thought it was right up my alley and exactly what I needed.”
As Ratchford secured his driving license in 2023, Bax entrusted Ratchford with a handful of charges from his stable, including the likes of Woman Of Passion in her two-year-old campaign in 2023 with Ratchford getting stakes starts in the Pure Ivory, Peaceful Way and Champlain.
“Matt gave me one or two to drive throughout the year right after I got my license and a couple more this past year,” said Ratchford. “The timing really worked out perfectly and I couldn’t ask for a much better situation with him.”
When it comes to improving over the course of his young driving career, Ratchford studies replays and the program to see where he can get better in addition to speaking with other drivers, and who better than the three-time defending O’Brien Award winner for Driver of the Year, James MacDonald.
“James is basically family,” explained Ratchford. “That’s been a big help for me this year, getting close with him and picking his brain on how he sees races and what things he does that can help certain types of horses. Being able to talk to these veteran guys has been a great help.”
As MacDonald wrapped up another driving title at Mohawk in 2024, Ratchford picked up the first driving title of his career in 2024 at Clinton Raceway. Batting at .356 and winning 23 times in 102 starts, Ratchford beat out the likes of Travis Henry and J Harris to take home top honours.
“It was really nice to have that under my belt this year,” said Ratchford. “Clinton is a smaller track but they take a lot of pride in racing there. I think that is a really cool accomplishment in only my second year of driving.”
With 2025 getting underway, Ratchford turns his focus to racing at Flamboro Downs and Woodbine Mohawk Park over the course of the winter, the latter of which Ratchford hopes to establish himself as a regular in the driving colony as he continues to establish his driving career in due time while also hoping to build on a successful year that was in 2024.
“I’d love to be a main guy at Mohawk, but that’s a little bit down the road once I get more into my career,” remarked Ratchford. “You have to respect the guys that have been there and established themselves, so my focus in 2025 is to hopefully double what I did last year with 200 wins and $2 million in earnings.”
The winter will also be highlighted by a trip to the O’Brien Awards Gala on Feb. 8 at Meadowvale / Mississauga in Mississauga, Ont., where the winners will be announced. Making his first trek to the O’Brien Awards with family in tow, Ratchford will be joined by fellow Future Star finalist, Brady Sweet.
“When you look at the people that have won the Future Star and where they are now, it makes you feel like you’re on the right track to be nominated.” Ratchford continued, “It should be a really fun night and hopefully we get to walk away with some hardware.”
To reserve your tickets for the O'Brien Awards, please fill out the O'Brien Awards ticket reservation form and send it to Jade Regina at [email protected].
(Standardbred Canada; photos courtesy FotoWon, New Image Media, Jessica Carnochan)