Standardbred racehorse owner and harness racing fan Ruth Stern, also know as 'Ruthie Carrots,' passed away on Friday, May 1, 2020.
Ruthie and her husband, Artie, who passed away years ago, spent their summers in the Catskills at Monticello Raceway every weekend in their owners box. Ruthie was larger than life and everyone at Monticello loved sitting down and speaking with her. She got the nickname Ruthie Carrots by bringing huge bags of carrots to the barn and eventually named a horse she owned Ruthie Carrots.
She and her husband originally had horses with John De Simone Jr. When Ruthie met Billy Parker Jr. it was true love. Parker was her trainer and idol for many years. Their best horse together was Little Scott Man, who won many races for the 'Stern-Parker' team.
The last bunch of years she would sit in front of the TV and watch every race. When one of Evan Katz's horses would win, she would be on the phone right after the race with him, yelling and crying that it was the most amazing race she'd ever seen, whether it was a $5,000 claimer or the Art Rooney Pace. Katz has said that winning a race in the future will not be the same for him without those phone calls.
There was no harness racing fan bigger then Ruthie Carrots. She will be missed by everyone, especially the horses she loved so much.
Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Ruth Stern.
(With files from Evan Katz)