A Trainer Turned Caretaker

Leading up to the 2021 edition of National Caretaker Appreciation Day events taking place the week of September 20-26, Standardbred Canada will profile caretakers from across the country in our Faces of Racing series. The series continues with a profile on Seth McLeod of Gatineau, Quebec, employed by the Guy Gagnon Stable based at Miramont Farm in Chelsea, Quebec.

“You know when I’m in the paddock at Rideau, I help Guy (Gagnon) drive them down the stretch...I get a little loud in the paddock,” admitted caretaker Seth McLeod.

Like many in the industry, Seth McLeod’s introduction to harness racing was through his family connection. His Dad, Ron, trained and drove horses thanks to his initiation from trainer-driver Robert Scrannage. Ironically, during the twilight of his racing career, Scrannage became Seth’s mentor, helping him to develop his horsemanship skills including how to properly rate a horse in a training mile.

McLeod made an early transition from caretaker to trainer and had his trainer’s license from 2002 through 2013. “My father raced horses in the early 90s at Queensbury Downs in Regina, Sask., I’ve worked all over Western Canada; moved from Saskatchewan to Sudbury, Ont., in 2002, was there for three years. In 2005 I moved to Aylmer, Quebec and worked for the Guy Gagnon Stable from then through 2009.”

In the summer of 2004, he raced in Alberta and Saskatchewan and managed to briefly venture into the thoroughbred industry. “My biggest claim to fame – one summer we were at Evergreen Park in Grande Prairie, Alberta and one evening after the races, we walked into a thoroughbred barn; saw this chestnut horse (Weekend Special) with a white blaze and bought him for $1,200. He was 13 years old. They gave me my trainer’s license for $10, and he finished third in his first start!”

McLeod did something not many trainers can attest to: he had two winners at Evergreen Track in Grande Prairie, Alberta as he won a thoroughbred race with Weekend Special and a Standardbred race on the same day!

“We raced him (Weekend Special) a couple of times and then gave the horse to a riding academy around Rocky Mountain, Alberta.”

From 2010 through 2013 he and his family returned to Saskatchewan and McLeod raced on the Manitoba and Saskatchewan circuits.

It was back to Quebec in 2014 as McLeod returned to the Guy Gagnon Stable where he’s been working as a caretaker ever since. He makes the seven-minute commute each day to Miramont Farms in Chelsea, Quebec, where Gagnon is stabled. “The view of the mountains from the deck is beautiful.”

“We have 14 horses and there are three of us – myself, Pierre Desjardins, and Guy. Pierre helps Guy with the jogging and I do most of the barn work until the jogging is done, and then everyone pitches in to do whatever is left, and put the horses away,” explained McLeod. “We are a good team. We’ve been together for four or five years and we also have an incredible bunch of owners who stuck with us during COVID,” explained McLeod with a french accent which he’s adopted after living in Quebec so long.

That ‘team effort’ has been responsible for some impressive stats for the Gagnon Stable this season at Rideau Carleton Raceway. As of today, Gagnon is second in the training standings with 41 wins and more than $213,000 in earnings to go along with 81 wins and nearly $400,000 in earnings as a driver which tops the charts at the Ottawa oval.

“My wife (Chantal) and kids are all bilingual,” says the father of four. When he’s not working at the farm or racing horses at Rideau, McLeod can be found coaching his sons’ hockey teams, fishing or hunting.

After working around the horses this long, there are many favourites McLeod has had along the way. “I’ve had two horses that were number one to me, said McLeod, “they were both mean,” he chuckles, “but I managed to turn them into pets!” The horses he referred to were Unabating and Cobalt Man.

As for the other ‘pets’, many horses in the Gagnon Stable each receive their own special treats. “We’ve got some horses who like different treats in the barn – Undercover Strike loves bananas, Wildwild Men’s favourite is watermelon and See You Men loves granola bars.”

During the pandemic, McLeod has found both solace and sanity with the horses. “We were lucky that we had to go to work every day...taking care of the horses is a necessity. If I didn’t have that, I don’t know how I would have coped. Our work lives didn’t change much except we weren’t racing.”

“Being a groom is like being a nurse; each and every horse has their own unique personality; they all do something different every day. I love the animal...to do a good job, you have to love the animal.”