Co-owner Michel Damphousse calls her "a gift."
Canaco Runner has earned more than $350,000 so far and would easily have twice that if
the Quebec Sires Stakes program still existed.
And she cost just $2,500 at auction as a yearling.
"Leo found her," said Damphousse, referring to veteran Quebec horseman and co-owner Leo Tourigny, original trainer of the Promising Catch mare. She's now in the barn of Richard Moreau, who'll send her out for her 10th start of 2010 in Monday's fourth race at Woodbine.
Canaco Runner was the champion Quebec trotting filly of 2007, winning that year's $140,000 Coupe des Eleveurs final by a nose over Bourbon Dream in one of the most memorable stretch duels in Coupe history.
But the Coupe wasn't held in 2008 (or since), and Canaco Runner left her home province to compete at Rideau Carleton, Georgian Downs and Woodbine.
She's held her own admirably, and is on pace for another $100,000 season after making $90,220 last year.
She's the best horse ever owned by Damphousse, 65, a New Brunswick pharmacist who's been in the game for 35 years and currently has shares in about two dozen, among them Canbec Condor, an 8-year-old trotting-bred pacer who's made $323,000.
"I probably have too many but I enjoy it," said Damphousse, "I'm just discouraged that there's no longer anything in Quebec. I can't believe there aren't two or three tracks making a go of it there now."
(A Trot Insider exclusive by Paul Delean)