One of the great traditions of the Royal Horse Show returns again this year with the Road Horse Division as Standardbred trotters hit the show ring to display their brilliance and speed and compete to become Canadian Champions.
After months of training followed by competitions at local and regional horse shows and fairs, exhibitors from across Ontario, Quebec as well from as far away as Kentucky and Indiana will compete in a total of eight classes during this year’s Royal Horse Show at the 2014 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.
Back to defend their titles are 2012 and 2013 Canadian Road Horse to Wagon Champion, Armbro Beau, owned by Steve McLean of Erin, Ont., as well as 2012 and 2013 Canadian Road Horse to Bike Champion, S Js Stormtrooper from Nugent Stables in Camden East, Ont. Both horses had successful race careers before making the transition to the show ring. Another horse familiar to race fans, who is entered to compete at this year’s Royal, is 1999 O’Brien Award winner for three-year-old trotting colt or gelding, Latest Chapter.
Another familiar face competing at the Royal is past Chair of Standardbred Canada, Pierre Guillemette with NC Suzie Rail. Now 14, NC Suzie Rail has competed in combined driving for six years and is in the Roadster Championship for the first time.
The road horse division gets started on Friday, November 7 with 16 horses entered in the eliminations of the Green Road Horse to Bike Classic for horses in either their first or second year as show horses. These 16 newcomers to the show ring bring with them from the track total lifetime earnings of close to three-quarters of a million dollars. The finals for the top 10 qualifiers will be part of the horse show schedule Saturday evening, November 8.
One of the most competitive classes of the division is the Ladies Road Horse to Bike with 14 entries, scheduled as part of the evening horse show performance on November 7.
Saturday, November 8 spectators can see two classes throughout the day, Road Horse to Wagon under 15.2 hands and Road Horse to Wagon 15.2 hands and over.
On Tuesday, November 11, the Road Horse classes start in the morning with the Road Horse to Bike under 15.2 hands, followed by the 15.2 and over Bike class as part of the afternoon horse show.
Top 12 qualifiers from the wagon and bike divisions will have the opportunity to compete for the title of Road Horse to Wagon Canadian Championship the evening of Tuesday, November 11 and the Road Horse to Bike Canadian Championship on Wednesday evening, November 12.
To view a full list of horses and exhibitors entered to compete, click here.
For detailed horse show schedules, click here.
For complete details about the 2014 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, visit www.royalfair.org.
For more information about the Canadian Road Horse Association, visit www.roadhorse.ca.
(Canadian Road Horse Association)