After having bore the winter months with his horses for the last 40 years, Richard Remillard is enjoying his new setup south of the border.
Remillard has made his first trip to Cal Expo from Canada this season with 11 performers in tow, and he relates he’s having a great time.
“Everybody here has been treating us great,” he has told Cal Expo’s publicity arm. “It’s nice to get away from the cold and I can’t remember the last time I’ve enjoyed the driving and training so much.”
The 62-year-old native of Winnipeg, Manitoba has always been around horses. He fell in love with the trotters and pacers when he was introduced to harness racing by his brother-in-law as a teenager.
Remillard has spent most of the last 40 years dividing his time between his day job – as a meat cutter and market manager – and driving and training horses, all while maintaining a ranch in Winnipeg.
“It was only about two years ago that I decided to concentrate solely on the horses,” he explained. “My partner, Val, recently retired, and after taking to Quentin Schneider, we decided to come down and give California a try before we get too old.”
When asked about his all-time favourite performers, Remillard mentioned Incognito Chris, Elkinin and Baylor Out, the latter being one of the pacers who made the trip down with him for this Cal Expo invasion.
(With files from Cal Expo)