A tragic mid-morning barn fire in Scotsburn, NS on Thursday (Feb. 28) claimed the life of former grand circuit stakes-campaigner Impeccable.
The fire spread through the Pictou County barn of Greg MacKenzie and Megan Baird Thursday morning when no one was home with Impeccable. The 16-year-old son of Astreos was living his retirement at the Nova Scotia farm and was the only horse in the barn when the fire hit. The other horses on the property were turned out in their pastures and were unharmed.
A winner of 15 races and $465,986 in purses, Impeccable was a runner-up in the $300,000 Battle Of Waterloo final in 2005 for trainer Dr. Ian Moore, who co-owned the horse with fellow Maritimers William Shearer, RG McGroup and David Smith. The stallion was a winner of his Metro Pace elimination in 2005 then finished fifth in the $1 million final. The pacer would go on to race in the top events in Ontario as a three-year-old including the $1.5-million North America Cup won by Total Truth in 2006.
Impeccable last raced at Woodbine Racetrack on Oct. 17, 2009, then retired to Nova Scotia with a brief stint in the breeding shed. His only foal from seven breedings was stakes winner Twirly.
Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the connections of Impeccable.
(With files from Nick Oakes)