Simard Makes Trek East

On a roll these days at Rideau-Carleton, veteran driver Richard Simard is making a rare visit east.

He’s down to drive in an Atlantic Sires Stakes race at Charlottetown Driving Park on Monday afternoon.

Call it a working vacation.

“My daughter (Krystel) lives there now with her boyfriend Mitch Tierney so I thought I’d go pay them a visit. On my way, I’m going to see the five-mile race in St. Aime-des-Lacs (Que.), I probably haven’t been to Prince Edward Island in 15 years, when I raced in the Gold Cup & Saucer. It wasn’t something you could do during stakes season when racing was still going strong in Quebec, but those days are gone.”

Simard, a former leading driver in Montreal and Windsor, notched his 5,500th career victory at Rideau this week.

But the meet did not start well for the resident of Coteau-du-Lac, Que., who’ll turn 54 this month.

On May 9th, his first day back driving at Rideau after a winter working for a stable in the Toronto area, he went down and suffered a broken leg and ribs and crushed vertebrae. He was out of action two months.

It’s been a battle to get back on the radar of the leading trainers, but his recent success has paid off in better catch-drives.

“The ball’s rolling again. I’ve got more power,” he said. “In racing, you’re always just one win away from happiness.”

Simard plans to return again this winter to Pompano Park, where he usually trains a few horses. He’s also begun dabbling in thoroughbreds there with Florida-based friend Shirley Lepage. “I’ve always liked them too,” he said. “When I was a kid, I wanted to be a jockey.”

(A Trot Insider Exclusive by Paul Delean)