Trot Insider has learned that an Alberta-based breeder and owner of Standardbreds has opted to retire his racing operation after more than three decades in the industry.
Pieter Besselink, who will be celebrating his 90th birthday next July, has decided that now is the time to get rid of his stock.
Besselink is a well known name in Alberta’s racing scene, as stock that he bred and owned has raced all over the province for the last 30 years. If Standardbreds were facing the starting gate anywhere in Alberta, charges from Besselink’s outfit were definitely there.
The resident of Okotoks is currently away from his stock, which has shipped down to California for the current Cal Expo meet and is racing out of the barn of trainer Quentin Schneider.