An Equine Love Story
June 23, 2020
Talented equine artist Michelle Hogan first met iron tough pacer Conrad Seelster when she was in her early 20s and he was a grizzled racetrack veteran with eight years of racing under his harness. Eighteen years later they are still together and Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society graduate Conrad is a beloved member of Michelle’s family.
“He moved in with us when we bought our first home, he was there on our wedding day and now he’s here while my twins grow up. My daughter, Autumn, in particular, loves him dearly,” said Michelle.
Michelle, whose twins Owen and Autumn will be four this August, stays connected to horse racing now through her art. She is a juried member of the American Academy of Equine Art (AAEA) and her first award from AAEA was for “Shady Daisy Shadow Roll”.
“It is most unusual to see Standardbred art hanging in an AAEA show, so to see my racing art not only be accepted, but awarded, is something I am thrilled with. I have worked so hard to get here,” she said at the time.
More recently, Michelle’s beautiful ink drawing of the great trotter San Pail was selected by Owen Sound’s juried art show to be on a banner that is hung on the town’s harbour for a year.
Like San Pail, Conrad Seelster is enjoying retirement surrounded by people who love him. And for both, it is a well-earned retirement. Conrad Seelster may not have been horse of the year in Canada twice, but he was an absolute iron horse throughout his 12 year racing career which saw him face the gate an incredible 445 times. His lifetime summary was 54 wins, 62 seconds and 61 thirds for $310,285 in earnings.
The son of Threefold bred by Seelster Farms never left Ontario during his racing days and he competed at 16 different racetracks in the province including several which are no longer operating (Sudbury, Elmira, Belleville, Barrie and Windsor). He was ultra consistent, averaging 37 starts per year from age three through 14.
Conrad was trained at the start of his career by John Yake of Woodstock, Ontario, who campaigned him until the end of his three-year-old season. Fred Maguire would take over the training responsibilities for a handful of starts. In May of Conrad’s four-year-old season Jeff Houghton claimed him from a race at Elmira for $3,500. It was the only time in his long career that he was claimed and from the age of four until 14 he was owned by trainer Jeff and his wife, Catherine, and it was in the Houghton barn that Michelle first met Conrad.
She grew up close to Flamboro Downs and her love for horses led her to become a caretaker. She worked in the Houghton stable looking after Conrad Seelster from 2002 until 2004.
“Conrad was always a gentleman. He was the barn favourite, of course. Jeff’s boys grew up with him. He could be strong on the track to jog and warm up, he liked to do things his way,” Michelle remembers.
Jeff’s son, Eddie, was two when the horse first came into the stable. “For my brother (Will) and I it was our routine for many years, each week watching Conrad race somewhere. He was such a special horse, he knew how to take care of himself and that’s why I think he raced as long as he did,” Eddie recalled recently.
Conrad’s most successful season was at age eight when he banked just over $70,000 from 44 starts. Jeff Houghton wasn’t afraid to race the consistent pacer throughout the province and Conrad spent quite a bit of time that season in Northern Ontario competing at Sudbury Downs. In late 2000 he had a four race win streak at Sudbury, including two in the $20,000 preferred.
“Dad would race him where he thought he could be the most successful and never touched WEG tracks. He excelled on a half-mile track. I remember racing at Sudbury and we’d eat at a restaurant that would give kids stuffed animals with their breakfast. I choose a horse and named him Conrad and took him everywhere with me for a long time,” said Eddie with a laugh.
The horse would earn his life record of 1:56.3 as a 10 year-old and Eddie remembers the amusing story behind that race at Clinton on July 14, 2002. Trevor Henry was up behind Conrad with the plan to leave with him. Just before the race was about to start the horse beside Conrad fell to the track (he was fine, but taken off the track and scratched).
“Conrad just took off, he ended up winning by five lengths. My dad always said he just wanted to get off the track as fast as he could after he saw that horse fall,” Eddie recalled.
Conrad made headlines at the end of his racing career. On New Year’s Eve, 2006 Rideau Carleton Raceway hosted a ‘Clash of the Iron Horses’ race that pitted Conrad against Kendal Python who was two years younger at 12. At the time Conrad had more lifetime starts than any horse in North America while Kendal Python had the second most. Python would surpass him in that category though, as he retired with 494 lifetime trips behind the gate two years later.
In that Rideau match-up Conrad set the pace, and down the lane his rival swept up the inside and the pair battled down the stretch with Conrad prevailing by a slight margin. It was Conrad’s last racetrack appearance and fittingly Houghton drove him for the first and final time. Many of the extended Houghton family were on hand for his final performance. That race may be watched through this link.
At the end of the race, following the winner’s circle presentation, one of the commentators noted that a horse of his calibre deserved a decent retirement home and Michelle has certainly provided that for him.
After his racing career concluded at the mandatory age of 14, Conrad was part of the OHHA Youth Camps which saw children spending the week learning the basics of harness racing, and working with four retired Standardbred horses. At the end of the week they put their skills to the ultimate test, competing in two four-horse exhibition races while accompanied by professional drivers.
“Conrad hadn’t been off the track for too long and I think they found he was too competitive for those races, he still wanted to compete,” said Eddie.
“I believe he was with the camp for two years before being given to OSAS. I was working as a vet assistant at the time and came across an advertisement in Horse Trader magazine for him. I immediately sent an email saying I would bring him home. He has been with me now since July of 2010,” noted Michelle.
Conrad was part of Michelle’s wedding to her husband Tim Casson and her photographer on that special day, Carrie Clarke Scott, was thrilled to see Conrad. “Carrie was his caretaker while he was with OSAS and she was my wedding photographer and was so happy to see him again.”
He also has other regular visitors. “Jeff and his family come up and stay every so often to have a good visit with him,” explained Michelle.
“I remember the last time I went to visit him with Dad,” said Eddie. “We walked up to the paddock and couldn’t see the horses. Dad called out ‘hey Conrad’ and we hear this nickering and then see the horse come running. I’m sure he remembered Dad’s voice. My dad often says what a relief it is that he’s found a home with Michelle, she is awesome.”
Conrad spends most of his days hanging out with Michelle’s other horse, a paint. He’s been lightly ridden and she’s hoping to let Autumn sit on him this summer.
“He really is a special horse. He has been so lucky to have so many good people in his life,” said Michelle. Judging by the beautiful photo Michelle recently posted of now 28 year-old Conrad Seelster looking fantastic, the feeling is mutual.
Keystone Edge, a gregarious 18 year-old gelding, was welcomed back by the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society after being adopted out of it a few years ago. The Bettors Delight son is featured in this week’s OSAS Pathways by WEG’s Matthew Loman which is part of OSAS’s 30 Years, 30 Stories campaign celebrating three decades of finding harness horses forever homes. While Bert and Susan Mollica, who train the majority of OSAS horses at their farm in Tottenham, Ontario, didn’t cross paths with Keystone Edge during his first stint with OSAS, the devoted husband and wife team is grateful to be co-authoring the next chapter of his life. “He is a very, very good boy,” praised Susan. “The owner that had him loved him. It was really hard for the gentleman to bring him back. He wants to visit Edge if Edge is still here, and his own health improves enough to permit it, so it was quite emotional. But it’s very clear that Edge was trained and loved.” Fun fact #1: Keystone Edge’s barn name is Edge. Fun fact #2: Keystone Edge made 56 starts across New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Ontario, earning just shy of $60,000 lifetime. Fun fact #3: His dam, Keystone Exton, is a half-sister to iron horse Keystone Endeavor, who made 390 starts while racing from ages two through 14. Keystone Endeavor was driven by several top drivers over his career, including Hall of Famer and current OSAS board member Bill O’Donnell. Some folks in the program are already quite familiar with Keystone Edge. What have you learned about his character? “Edge settled in really well. He’s like the papa bear. He’s with Soldier Boy [Officersoldierboy], and he just loves him. The bond they share is like father and son. Soldier Boy’s only four years old, and he’s a kind soul, too, but Edge has been there, done that, he’s just a happy boy.” How are you and Bert approaching Keystone Edge’s second stay in the program? “It makes it easier for us because Edge already knows everything. It’s been more about introducing him to our home, introducing him to his new buddy – but Bert can literally go tack him and ride him at any time. There’s no learning process for Edge because he already knows it all. This is a retreat while he waits to go to his forever home.” Based on everything you know about Keystone Edge, what kind of home do you think will suit him best? “It will be with someone who wants to go out, tack up their horse, and go for a nice ride by themselves or with a group. He will be the leader, but he’ll also be a follower. He will do what anybody wants him to do. He’s just waiting for someone who wants to enjoy life him.” Keystone Edge is proof that Standardbreds always have a home with OSAS. How important is providing that continued care, even after horses have moved through the program? “This is why we work with OSAS. Whether they age out of the program or get hurt, OSAS doesn’t shut the door on a horse, the door is always wide open. They will continue to support and love the horse. “Even if Bert and I aren’t doing it anymore, OSAS will still carry on, and the horse will never be left astray. It’s so hard to put in words how amazing the program is. We’ve had horses come back in the past that were younger, and we had no issue re-adopting them out. Even with Edge being older, he will find his perfect home. “One thing that OSAS stands behind is that every horse they have in their program and in their care is always welcome back. Even when situations change, they continue to be responsible for those horses and will help find them their forever home again.”
It seems appropriate to kick off the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society’s 30 Years, 30 Stories campaign with a profile of Sheila Jopling, a staunch supporter of OSAS for many years and also a customer. Sheila has now had the complete OSAS experience as she recently adopted her first horse from the program, KJ Owen. A volunteer for the organization for many years, Sheila has helped in a wide variety of roles including marketing and monitoring social media. It was on Facebook where she first saw KJ Owen who was being retrained by Susan and Bert Mollica who offer a foster farm and retraining for the majority of the retired Standarbred horses in OSAS’s care. “Being a dedicated volunteer with OSAS, I'm in a position where I can see the new horses coming into the program. When I saw the videos of Owen's arrival at the Mollicas I was instantly drawn to him. I visited their farm and rode him, and the connection was there,” explained Sheila who lives near Peterborough in Buckhorn, Ontario. “Having spent time in the industry, I appreciate and admire the breed, both on and off track,” added Sheila who is well versed with harness horses having worked in the stables of Terry Heffernan, Pete LaRush, Dagfin and Per Henriksen, Steve Nichols, Charlie Peake and Jason Woodward. It was Heffernan who first exposed Sheila to the Standardbred breed. “I was taking riding lessons at an equestrian facility where Terry’s two daughters were also taking lessons. One of them was riding a pacer which quite intrigued me. Terry offered me a job and introduced me to jogging and it’s gone from there,” she remembered. “When I worked for Per it was all trotters, so you’re exposed to a different side of the breed. I loved working with them, when you’re a groom you get to know the horses’ personalities so well. Some are very different at the farm than at the track and you get to know their little quirks and what sets them off.” Sheila’s first harness horse, acquired several years ago, is 22 year-old gelding Hezgothorseshoes. “He was named that after being born severely windswept. He qualified, but never raced,” she noted. A son of Mr Lavec who Sheila calls Mojo, he hails from the immediate family of millionaire Self Possessed. Interestingly, there is an OSAS connection here as Mojo’s dam, Orchard Park, went through the program in 2009. Sheila and Mojo have been a team for many years, and their riding has included leading the post parades at her home track of Kawartha Downs on Canada Day a few years back. They’ve also participated in many horse shows including Hunters and Dressage and she appreciates always having the opportunity to promote the breed when she rides him at various events. Sheila is cognizant of Mojo’s age and realizes that will limit what he is capable and comfortable doing going forward which is why she began to contemplate getting another horse which is what led her to KJ Owen. Unlike Mojo, KJ Owen had a very productive career on the racetrack with close to 300 lifetime starts. The now 12 year-old son of Roll With Joe retired earlier this year with an impressive summary of 52-41-38. He has two half-brothers currently competing at Monticello Raceway in KJ Hunter, a winner of $256,000 lifetime and KJ Leo, who has over $300,000 banked lifetime. The brothers are owned by breeders Scott Woogen and Brenda Messenger and trained by Gary Messenger. Those are the same connections who raced Owen during his first six seasons of racing before losing him in a claiming race in 2021. He would continue to race for five more years, through to age 12, quietly grinding out a decent bankroll of over $311,000 lifetime. At the time of his retirement Owen was owned by Lynn Cameron of New Brunswick who Sheila has connected with over the horse. Lynn donated Owen to OSAS following his final race at Mohawk in January of this year. Susan Mollica recently sent Sheila a horseshoe he was wearing in that last race. “I won’t lie, I was teary-eyed when I opened that, it means a lot,” said Sheila. “I actually cried when I went to meet Owen for the first time. The closer we got to the Mollicas I was getting more excited. When Bert met us, I said ‘please don’t mind, the tears are excitement and joy’, and he said, ‘Susan’s been doing the same’.” After their first meeting, Sheila and her husband Garth, returned a few weeks later to take Owen home for good. Her horses are boarded at Nirvana Animal Sanctuary where she also volunteers. “The sanctuary is operated by two sisters who provide animals of all kinds a safe landing. We’ve become good friends and I’m now on their board of directors. They currently have over 30 horses, a few donkeys, a pony, pigs and cows. “When I got Owen to the farm, he didn’t have a care in the world, he was looking around, he didn’t pay any attention, he settled in really well,” added Sheila who works full time in Lakefield which is a ten minute drive from home and the farm is five minutes away which allows her to spend a lot of time there. “Owen and Mojo have sorted things out, Mojo’s nose was out of joint for a few days, but they’ve become buddies now and Owen is the top of the pack, he quickly established himself. One of the sisters is a farrier who is a barefoot specialist. She noted that Owen was the best horse she has ever trimmed. I love him to bits.” A rider for many years, Sheila has never ridden without using a bit but that is how the Mollicas trained KJ Owen so she’s going to work on riding him with a bitless bridle, in this case a hackamore. “We’ll practice in the indoor arena and work that out but I’m looking forward to learning.” Sheila first started riding with her dad on ponies. “I think I was 10 when I started taking western riding lessons.” She rode for many years but then took some time off when her daughters, Alison and Krista, were young. When they developed an interest in riding it became something they did together, and Sheila is hoping that continues with Owen. “With Mojo I did dressage, hunter jumper; I have championship ribbons from our time competing. I showed him in the western pleasure class at the Orono fair and got first place to my shock. With Owen we will do lots of rides, maybe some western dressage; I’d like to get into reining and clinics not far from the farm. I’m not sure If I’ll teach him to canter, we’ll see. We might enter some shows down the road, I do know I would like to post parade with him if the opportunity arose. “I have been exposed to many breeds of horses and I’m so impressed with Standardbreds. It’s remarkable what they can accomplish, look at the one in the US who was just named Grand Champion (Homicide Hunter). What OSAS does is provide a wonderful opportunity for horses to learn something different and have a whole new career. These horses are so intelligent and don’t forget what they’ve been taught in my experience. “It breaks my heart to think of where some of these horses would end up without a program like OSAS. I’m very happy to contribute to their work any way I can and can’t express how thrilled I am to have my own OSAS horse. I will always be an advocate for them.” Celebrating their 30 th year, OSAS has succeeded throughout that time thanks to dedicated volunteers like Sheila, who give of their time and experience to support and sustain Standardbred horses.
The Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society is marking its’ 30 th anniversary in 2026 and part of the celebrations include the annual golf tournament which will be held on Wednesday, September 30, at the Granite Ridge Golf Club in Milton, Ontario. The cost per golfer is $180 which includes lunch, dinner, cart, golf and OSAS swag. A foursome is $720. Cost per hole sponsors is $250. Shotgun start is 1 p.m. Please register early as this popular event always fills up quickly. Non golfers are more than welcome to attend and/or contribute by sponsoring a hole or an item for the prize table. Please contact Joanne Colville 905-339-6748 ( osashorses@gmail.com ) to register to play, regarding sponsorship, to donate prizes or for additional information.
“She’s a very social, happy-go-lucky girl,” is how Susan Mollica describes Emilleah, a four-year-old daughter of Dancin Lou who is currently being retrained for her second career. Emilleah is the latest OSAS horse featured in WEG’s OSAS Pathways which may be read through the link below. https://woodbine.com/mohawk/mohawk-insider/osas-pathways-emilleah/
“For us, Ares is proof that retirement doesn’t have to mean the end of a horse’s story. Sometimes, it simply means finding the career they were always meant to have,” notes Jessica Abbott regarding her OSAS graduate Isnt He An Angel. The 10 year-old former trotter is enjoying his best life as described by WEG’s Matthew Loman in his latest installment of OSAS pathways which may be read below. OSAS Pathways: Isnt He An Angel - Woodbine Mohawk Park
The Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society is proud to be celebrating our 30 th anniversary in 2026. Over those three decades we have fostered second careers and found forever homes for hundreds of pacers and trotters. A main component of OSAS’s mandate is to showcase the versatility of the Standardbred horse, a goal which has been reached with so many graduates enjoying second careers as riding horses. Some disciplines include trail or distance riding, dressage, pleasure, etc. One of our graduates, Masseno, is currently a member of the Canadian Cowgirls Precision Drill team. To celebrate this milestone, we have launched our “30 Years, 30 Stories” campaign which will feature horses and people who have contributed to OSAS’s success and will be released throughout the year. These can be read and viewed on our website osas.ca and on our Facebook page. We have also commissioned a limited series of t-shirts featuring the incredibly talented Beau Jangles, one of the best Ontario-bred pacers of all time. These will be available for sale throughout the year at various racetracks and online. To everyone who has supported OSAS, our horses and our volunteers, a very sincere thank you. We look forward to finding forever homes for our wonderful breed for many years to come. Donations at osas.ca are always appreciated.
The star of the most recent OSAS Pathways by Matthew Loman is James Arthur who will be heading to his forever home this week. To read the full story please click OSAS Pathways: James Arthur - Woodbine Mohawk Park
“I would like to thank driver Phil Hudon, Mohawk’s starting gate crew and track maintenance team, OSAS’ financial support, the veterinarians, blacksmiths, caregivers, and, in particular, Joanne Colville, for not giving up on Bettor Notbitter. He deserved the effort,” notes Dr. Julie Ballinger. Her comments are part of the latest installment of OSAS pathways written by Matthew Loman and featuring iron horse Bettor Notbitter who is now enjoying a wonderful retirement after a journeyman career with a scary conclusion. To read the full story please click below. OSAS Pathways: Bettor Notbitter - Woodbine Mohawk Park
Wheels On Fire, a prolific race horse who hails from pacing royalty, is the latest horse profiled in OSAS Pathways by WEG’s Matthew Loman. A winner of over $1 million during his racing career, Wheels is enjoying his training for his second career as a riding horse. The full story may be read: OSAS Pathways: Wheels On Fire - Woodbine Mohawk Park
After a 10 year racing career which saw him face the gate close to 300 times, KJ Owen is now learning the ropes as a riding horse. His lessons are going well, although he did take his trainer, Bert Mollica, for an unexpected ride in the early going. Matthew Loman profiles the 12 year-old gelding in the latest OSAS Pathways which may be read here.
