Former double-gaited world champion True Story passed away after a short illness on Aug. 27, 2026 at the age of 29.
A pacing-bred son of Kentucky Spur from C Nanette, True Story was foaled in Baltimore, Ohio on May 13, 1997 and was bred by Kevin Sizer. He qualified as a two-year-old on pace and raced for the majority of his two- and three-year-old seasons on the pace before switching to the trot late in 2000. As a four-year-old, True Story raced 25 times on the trot before switching briefly back to the pace at the end of the year. He took his pacing mark of 1:55 at Balmoral Park on Dec. 6, 2001.
True Story ended his four-year-old year on the pace, but started 2002 on the trot and stayed on that gait for the rest of his 254-start career. On July 3, 2003 he became the world’s fastest double-gaited horse with a 1:54.2 win at Woodbine Racetrack.
He retired on May 15, 2009 with a 53-25-26 summary and more than $500,000 in earnings, a testament to his longevity, toughness, and sound structural health across multiple seasons of racing.
True Story was eventually adopted by Graeme McIntosh of Newcastle, Ont. After moving around various barns and enjoying countless hours of riding and meeting dozens of friends in the Eldred King, Durham Regional and Ganaraska forests, he settled in Bowmanville, Ont. where he is interred at Picadilly Acres Farm. He will forever be loved and missed by Graeme, Ember, Mr. Ed, Cindy and Amy and all his friends both horse and human.
Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the connections of True Story.