Young Owner Tastes Victory

Levi Morin is only 14 years old, but with Saskatchewan's harness racing season now wrapped up for 2010, he's also the owner of one of Western Canada's winningest

horses - Stagger Lee.

The results speak for themselves. In 2010, Stagger Lee, a five-year-old pacing mare by Marlow Hanover-Northern Doll, bred by Lindsay and Lee Ibey of Gibbons, Alberta, won 10 races in 24 starts. But all of her victories in 2010 came during the 17 starts she’s been owned by Morin.

In the past, when Morin thought of racing horses, he always assumed it would be thoroughbreds. It only makes sense, considering his father Shaun has trained flat horses for more than 30 years.

One chance day, though, his uncle on his mother’s side, Jim Rogers, stopped by with a standardbred gelding that just wasn’t making the cut on the Alberta circuit. Even though Morin had never seen a harness race before, he accepted the offering of Outlaw Lilbritches and started jogging the pacer over his home track in Rokeby, Saskatchewan.

A deal was struck with Hughie Woods, a friend of Shaun’s, to race the horse and teach the then 12-year-old Morin the ins and outs of the business in exchange for giving Woods a hand. Right from the start, Morin found standardbreds to be more reasonable steeds.

"They’re just so much quieter and easier to deal with," says the Yorkton Regional High School grade nine student. "He was easy to jog, so I liked that and I did it myself. I’ve owned thoroughbreds before and some of them are so rammy and hard to be around. They’re nice in the barn, but when you get out there, they’re a handful."

Yorkton didn’t seem to agree with Outlaw Lilbritches; the horse failed to win a single race until the meet moved to Saskatoon in the fall. Ironically enough, when the day did come that he was standing in front of the camera, Morin wasn’t even there; he was at hockey try-outs instead, and received the news of his first victory via the telephone. Morin hopes hockey can play a big role in his life as he hopes, like so many other Canadian youngsters, to someday make in to the NHL.

"I love playing hockey," Morin says. "I like having to work hard. It’s not easy you have to work to be good at it."

The next year, the cycle repeated itself for Morin and his steed. No win for Outlaw Lilbritches in Yorkton, then a win first start out in Saskatoon, with Morin yet again at hockey camp. Not pleased with the results, Morin put the As Promised gelding away for a year. Being out of work and lounging around the farm, though, doesn’t seem to have quelled the horse’s appetite, the teen jokes.

Hoping for a replacement with a bit more horsepower, Morin went on a trip with his father, who as race secretary in Yorkton wanted to find some horsemen to populate the 16-week meet in the Saskatchewan town. Morin was on the hunt for a new project and settled on a $4,000 claiming mare known as Stagger Lee.

"She’s such a nice horse," says Morin of his prized possession. "She’s quiet and nice to be around, plus she looks good."

Despite a slow beginning, the Marlow Hanover mare pocketed win number one on July 2 of this year for trainer/driver Brian Gray. This time, Morin didn’t miss this party. "I had the biggest smile and I couldn’t get it off my face," grins Morin. After a second consecutive victory, and then two defeats, the mare pulled off a five-race win streak, claiming victory in a $4,000 stake race along the way. She continued her winning ways as racing has shifted to Marquis Downs and won a total of 10 races in Saskatchewan, tops in the province.

"He’s really enjoying it," Shaun says of his son. "I’ve explained to him this isn’t how it always is. He went from his last little horse, who won one race a year, to this mare who wins all the time."

And he admits that Gray has been a good teacher for the youngster. "Gray is a very patient person and has taught Levi a lot," says Shaun. "It’s really been a great pairing for the summer. He’s learned a lot and if the kid’s having fun that’s all that matters."

(Exclusive Feature by Nicholas Oakes)