New owners are hard to come by and even harder to keep.

It’s an initiative that’s been in the works since the very first standardbred wagering ­conference, and now this national branding concept – Canada One – is well on it’s way to ­becoming a

This month, Trot Insider presented the industry’s Best of the Decade as chosen by some of the biggest names in North American racing. Media. Owners. Breeders. Trainers. Drivers. Fans. Customers.

With an O’Brien Horsemanship Award nomination to his name and a lifetime of marching to his own beat, trainer and driver Per Henriksen is more than qualified to speak his mind on all things racing.

A statistical look at North America’s top stallions in 2009.

In a job ­market where employers hardly expect their workers to remain for a lifetime, siblings Bill and Cindy Rapson defy the odds. Combined, this pair has walked the backstretch for over 40 years.

Primetime Bobcat had hung up his harness and settled into retirement. But the settling bit, it seems, didn’t go so well. The Bobcat was restless, antsy. Enter the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society, who gave this gelding (and one very lucky lady) a new lease on a life well lived.

Story by Karen Briggs / Photos by Brian Acton