Dream Team Rewind: Peaceful Way

For the past 25 years, a select group of Canada’s top horses and people have been honoured with the sport’s most prestigious award – the O’Brien. This year, we pay tribute to the winners who have stood boldly at the top of the podium, and reveal your picks for the O’Brien Dream Team.

Over the next few weeks, Trot Insider will feature one of the Dream Team selections as well as a race from that horse's illustrious career.

This week we profile Three-Year-Old Trotting Filly Peaceful Way. Peaceful Way was anything but quiet on the racetrack. The all-Canadian trotting mare, born, bred and raised in Ontario to longtime owner Angie Stiller of Stonebridge Farms in Arva, earned over $3.2 million in five racing seasons, won a record four O’Brien Awards as the best in Canada in her class and was victorious 33 times in 52 starts.

Peaceful Way set her lifetime mark of 1:51.4 at age four at the Meadowlands and was also honoured twice as the best trotting mare in her class in the United States.

The highlight of Peaceful Way’s career came in 2006 when she surpassed $3 million in lifetime earnings with a stirring triumph against the sport’s best older male trotters in the 55th edition of the Maple Leaf Trot.

“The Maple Leaf Trot definitely was her greatest win. It’s fantastic to have owned such a horse as her, who I regard, and Dave (Tingley) does, too, as probably the fastest trotting mare that ever lived,” said co-owner Joe Myers.

Dream Team Voting - Three-Year-Old Trotting Filly
1. Peaceful Way - 53.4 %
2. Check Me Out - 12.8 %
3. Elegantimage - 7.5 %

Be sure to check out the full O'Brien Dream Team in the January issue of Trot Magazine.

Peaceful Way In A Maple Leaf Thriller

September 9, 2006

Peaceful Way surpassed the $3-million mark in career earnings thanks to her stunning victory against the boys in the 55th edition of the $877,500 Maple Leaf Trot at Mohawk Racetrack, and in doing so she vaulted past Boulder Creek to become the richest Canadian-bred ever.

With Trevor Ritchie at the controls, Peaceful Way was allowed to settle into fourth as the field followed Stiletto (Rick Zeron) to the opening quarter in :27.2. Ritchie brushed the Dave Tingley-trainee to the lead before the :55.4 half-mile marker and proceeded to take the field to the three-quarter mile marker in 1:24.3.

Peaceful Way poured it on coming off the final turn and she drew away to win by three and three-quarter lengths in 1:53.3. Stiletto (Rick Zeron), who closed at 42-1, stayed for second over 24-1 shot Med Vac (Ron Pierce), who finished third.

"It feels great," said Ritchie, celebrating his second Maple Leaf win after scoring with Rotation in 2003. "It's an honour to be in this race and a bigger honour when you can get to win it. Everybody thought Brian's horse [Sand Vic] was the horse to beat. But I always had confidence in this mare. You're on your home turf. This is one of the premier events. It's just a real thrill."

Sand Vic, who was sent off as the 1-5 favourite, clearly wasn't at his best for trainer Trond Smedshammer, who watched his student struggle throughout the mile en route to a disappointing fourth place finish.

"This is pretty sweet," said Tingley. "She's always getting a little knock here and there, not winning the big one. Not too many mares can go beat the boys like she did tonight. She hadn't raced for a month and last week was a pretty good effort [when she finished second to Sand Vic in her elimination]. Obviously, Sand Vic wasn't on his game tonight and that's too bad for his connections. But we'll capitalize on it."

Tingley shares ownership on Peaceful Way with Angie Stiller of Arva, Ont., Goin My Way Stable of Holland, Penn., along with Marvin Katz, Sam Goldband and Al Libfeld of Toronto, Ont.

(Video courtesy WEG)