SC Rewind: Remembering 'Loosh'

In the current edition of Rewind, Robert Smith takes a look back at the stellar career of one of Canada's finest horsemen -- Lucien "Loosh" Fontaine who recently passed away.  He is fondly remembered by the multitude of people he impressed with the many skills he displayed both on and off the racetrack.  He passed away peacefully on the morning of September 11, 2022 at the age of 83. 

The world of harness racing recently lost one of its finest,  a man who spent an entire lifetime in the sport he loved so dearly.  Lucien  Fontaine, affectionately known by all as "Loosh",  started his love affair with horses at a very young age and in a rather unusual way.  Growing up, the young Fontaine lived in Pointe Aux Trembles on the eastern end of Montreal Island. Something he saw every day would influence the rest of his life. 

 He envied a local milkman who had two horse-drawn rigs and two routes.  In later years he told a harness reporter "I just loved horses and when I found out he was looking for someone to drive one of his wagons I applied immediately."  He said "I was amazed that he hired me as I was only 14 years old." He recalled that he was paid $5 a week for delivering milk daily. The job took four hours a day and started at 4:30 a.m. He then rushed to school,  hoping to make it before the bell rang.  

Loosh immediately took to the milk wagon job but from the start felt like he was "surplus baggage" as the horse did all the work.  The horse knew where to go,  what houses to stop in front of and even when it was time to go back to the stable.  When Fontaine became a popular and successful driver at the big New York tracks he told a New York Times reporter about his start with horses.  He told him "talk about your computer-age milk wagon horses in those days, they were well before their time...I used to think to myself that they were smart enough to do everything but my homework."

It wasn't too long after the milk wagon days that he became interested in harness racing.  His older brother Paul, who operated a taxicab business in Montreal with three cars, purchased a race horse named Orphan Dick for $500. After school Loosh started accompanying his brother to Richelieu Park where the horse was stabled; it was only four miles from their home.  Because of his inherent love of horses he was quickly bitten by the horse bug.  He soon found himself caring for four horses and making "big money," as in $25 a week.  

However the heavy workload created a conflict with his school work and he was faced with a large decision.  It was going to be either horses or classes and the then still very young Fontaine quickly decided to leave school after his freshman year in high school.  He termed it an "easy decision" despite how his father felt about his choice.  The senior Fontaine was a shoemaker in his native Quebec and had hoped perhaps greater things for his son.  While he was first adamant about his son's choice he later admitted that he was very proud of how things turned out. Unfortunately his father died at a very young age just as Loosh was climbing the ladder in his new profession. 

Lucien's first big break in his newly chosen sport was a job with master reinsman Keith Waples, then a kingpin at the Montreal tracks. His tenure there would last about three years.  Loosh was so young at the time that Waples was required to sign a paper accepting responsibility for the youngster.  One of his first chores was caring for a horse named Ben Boy, a top trotter of the day. His style right from the start was a "spit and polish"  approach as he paid strict attention to neatness and keeping his stable area in spotless condition.  

The young Fontaine seemed to adapt to each new task and before too long he was sought after by one of the best in the business.  On one of his numerous visits to Montreal to compete in stakes action, Canadian born  Clint Hodgins approached young Loosh about taking a job with his large stable in the "Big Apple."  Fontaine said the decision to head to the U.S. took him about five seconds to decide.  While he had already had considerable success at the Montreal tracks he knew that the greatest opportunities at that time were in the U.S. 

His transition to the New York tracks and the bright lights at Roosevelt and Yonkers was soon accomplished.  A humorous story about his early days in the Hodgins stable has survived the years.  Legend has it that one day when Clint went to check on one of his charges he couldn't help but notice how immaculate both the horse and his stall were.  He immediately summoned the rest of the grooms and stated that this was what he expected from the entire crew. Loosh even had the straw delicately placed in the stall.  Unfortunately for Fontaine, so the story goes, none of the other caretakers spoke to him for the next six months!

Forrest Skipper was named Harness Horse of the Year in 1986. Shown here with "Loosh" at the controls. 

By about 1964 Fontaine had quit operating a public stable and relied solely on catch driving,  a practice previously almost unheard of.  He was prompted in this move when he was suspended from racing while at Liberty Bell in Philadelphia.  His stable consisted of 27 horses and one received a positive test.  As the trainer of a horse believed to have been the recipient of an illegal substance he was banned from racing.  He fought the charges and eventually was exonerated but the experience left him scarred.  After missing 64 days and spending $10,000 in legal fees he was reinstated.  

For many years Fontaine was at the forefront of the sport,  the winner of numerous driving championships and major races.  From the New York circuit he transitioned to The Meadowlands along with all of the other top trainers and drivers in the industry.  In 1986 Fontaine enjoyed his finest moments in the sport as he campaigned Forrest Skipper to an undefeated season winning all 15 of his races. 

Forrest Skipper is shown in one of his many victories, this one at Roosevelt Raceway with Lucien in the bike. 

In 1988 at the relatively young age of 49 Lucien required serious heart surgery which eventually ended his driving career.  After recovering and at the persuasion of his wife Marsha,  he decided to give up his daily grind of driving horses and begin a life of world travel.  This way of life went on for some time and also at a young age his wife passed away from pancreatic cancer. Thankfully they had this wonderful time spent together.   

Their son Marc followed in his father's footsteps from an early age and soon displayed some of his father's talents as he won the junior driving championship at Yonkers.  He  was able to work with his father for a time and was the trainer of one of the senior Fontaine's best horses ever, Forrest Skipper.  

In the later part of his career Loosh spent many years working on behalf of his fellow horsemen.  He was loved and welcomed wherever he travelled and was usually extremely successful in any endeavors he tackled.  After starting out being able to speak only French he became completely bilingual and very articulate in both tongues.  In time he became a natural for reporters to chat with because of his genial nature and I have included a quote from a New York Times article published very early in his career. 

"You know," he said, "the one thing I always marvel about is the great changes that can take place in one's lifestyle as time passes. When I was on my milk route, it would take me about four hours to cover the five miles. These days at the track, riding behind a pacer or trotter, I can travel that same distance in a little over 10 minutes."  

Just recently Mr. Fontaine was finally elected to the Hall of Fame, an honour that is well past due.  Unfortunately as so often happens he will not be here to personally enjoy the experience of being inducted.  Lucien Fontaine was certainly one of the finest all-around horsemen to ever come out of Canada and he proudly represented his country for many decades in every possible way.  I am personally a bit sorry that I did not do this story just a bit earlier so he possibly could have read it. 

Picture Gallery 

Loosh is pictured here with a number of famous drivers who probably need little or no introduction. From left to right: Buddy Gilmour, Carmine Abatiello, Lucien Fontaine  and Del Insko. 

Lucien flashes his signature smile as he appears here with Forrest Skipper for one of his great owners, Forrest Bartlett. The two became very good friends through their association with this remarkable horse.  

Loosh heads for the wire and a win by more than a "nose" driving a horse named Lucky Nose (5) at Yonkers way back in 1973.  

One of the highlights of the 1986 season for Fontaine and his unbeaten Forrest Skipper occurred when they were involved in what turned out to be a two-horse match race with another outstanding horse that season, Falcon Seelster.  This race created quite an exciting spectacle as shown above.  

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A very good horse that came along fairly early in his career was the pacer Pocomoonshine.  Lucien was part owner along with Gerard Champagne of Montreal.  While this fellow did most of his racing in the U.S. he was brought to Sackville Downs where he set a new track record of 2:02.2 in 1966 catch driven by Buddy Regan. Shown above with Fontaine in the bike. 

Quote For The Week:  “I wish that every day was Saturday and every month was October.”- Charmaine J. Forde

Where Is It? 

Can you identify the location and name of this old once popular track that is now but a memory to those who have been there? Look closely there are a couple of giveaways. 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING 

I would like to offer my Thanksgiving Day Greetings to everyone reading Rewind on this beautiful day.  I hope the sun is shining where you are today.  While we set aside one day of the year and call it Thanksgiving, most of us fortunate enough to live in Canada at the present time have reason to be very thankful every day of the year. I am blessed to be able to sit down with my loving family and share a thoughtfully prepared Holiday meal.  It is an experience that happens often at our house and an event that never grows old. 

Being thankful is not something we should take lightly or set aside when things are not going as well as we wish they were.  Having good health,a sound support system based on family and friends, and a secure roof over our head does not happen automatically. 

Be sure to cherish what you have and more importantly who you have around you. Happy Thanksgiving To All!