Blog Post
An Equine Love Story
Jun 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.
OSAS has been very generously gifted a pair of Toronto Maple Leaf tickets which you have the chance to win by purchasing a raffle ticket. Tickets are $10 each and may be purchased in person through Joanne Colville or Emma Christoforou and paid before the draw via e-transfer, cash, or credit card or email, call or text Joanne at osashorses@gmail.com or 905-339-6748. The game is on Saturday, April 13 at the Scotiabank arena. The Leafs are facing the Detroit Red Wings. The seats are in section 115, row 26, seats 13 & 14 and have a face value of $660. The draw for the winner of the tickets will take place on Facebook Live on Sunday, April 7. Special thanks to Renata and Dave Lumsden for the generous donation.
March 15th is the final day to place your order for our fundraiser featuring the delicious fudges and spice mixes from Phil's Fudge Factory. The flavours available are as follows: Chocolate Chocolate Coconut Chocolate Pecan Chocolate Mint Swirl Cinnamon Bun Cookie Monster Lemon Cheesecake Canadian Maple Pecan Peanut Butter Explosion Rolo Sour Cherry Tiger Eye For more information on the fudge, please click here to view their Spring Fudge catalogue. In addition to fudge, Phil’s is also offering an assortment of Spice Mixes, these include: Bacon & Chives Baked Crab Bake Spinach Bruschetta Buffalo Ranch Cajun Wildfire Chipotle Bacon Country Ranch Creamy Jalapeno Curried Garlic Dill Delight Everything Bagel Guacamole Herb & Garlic Honey Mustard Horseradish Bacon Island Jerk Mexican Fiesta Roasted Potato Spicy Veggie Spinach Supreme Tiramisu Tomato Basil Traditional Onion Additional information on the spice mixes may be viewed here . The spice mixtures are $5/per while the blocks of fudge are $13 each. We ask that payment accompany your order. Etransfers may be sent to: osashorses@gmail.com . Orders may also be paid in cash to Emma Christoforou at Flamboro or Mohawk. Any questions, please call or text Joanne at 905-339-6748.
The Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society’s 2024 stallion auction concluded on Saturday, February 10, at noon. We sincerely thank each and every stallion owner and farm who donated a breeding to support the official adoption agency for retired Standardbreds in the province. We’d also like to thank everyone who took the time to make bids on these 15 popular Ontario stallions. The results of this year’s auction are as follows:
A reminder that the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society’s annual stallion auction starts at noon today (Monday, February 5) and includes breedings to stallions whose books have already closed as well as many other popular Ontario studs. One of OSAS’s mainstay fundraisers every year, the 2024 edition will close on February 10 at noon. This year’s auction is hosted by Easy Auction. To be eligible to bid, please register through the link here. Please note that if a bid is placed in the last 60 seconds of the auction, that stallion’s availability will be extended another 120 seconds, or until all bidding ceases. Bids must be made in increments of $100. If you have placed a bid Easy Auction will notify you by email if a higher bid has been placed. The successful bidders will be notified, also by email, when the auction closes. A $100 non-refundable deposit is required from every successful bidder. The winning bid, minus the deposit, is due to OSAS upon the birth of the 2025 foal. The full listing of sires available is as follows: Alarm Detector All Bets Off Archangel Betterthancheddar Betting Line Big Jim Cattlewash (book full & closed) Century Farroh Control The Moment King Of The North (book full & closed) Lookslikeachpndale McWicked My MVP Sportswriter Sunshine Beach If you have any questions, please reach out to Joanne Colville at osashorses@gmail.com or call or text 905-339-6748. Our gratitude to all who contribute to the stallion auction’s success year after year. The official adoption agency for Standardbreds in the province, OSAS is approaching our 30 th year of spreading the message of the versatility of our breed and finding pacers and trotters forever loving homes upon their retirement. Photos – Control The Moment (courtesy Tara Hills Stud), My MVP (courtesy Winbak Farm)
The upcoming Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society’s annual stallion will provide breeders the opportunity to obtain breedings to stallions whose books have already closed for this year as well as many other popular Ontario stallions. The auction will begin on February 5 at noon and close on February 10 also at noon. This year’s auction is being hosted by Easy Auction. To register and to bid please click here. The full listing of sires available is as follows: Alarm Detector All Bets Off Archangel Betterthancheddar Betting Line Big Jim Cattlewash (book full & closed) Century Farroh Control The Moment King Of The North (book full & closed) Lookslikeachpndale McWicked My MVP Sportswriter Sunshine Beach OSAS wishes to thank all of the stallion owners for their generosity again this year and to all of the bidders who make this one of our most productive fundraisers year after year. Additional stallion breedings will be accepted up until date of auction. To donate or if you have any questions, please reach out to Joanne Colville at osashorses@gmail.com or call or text 905-339-6748. The official adoption agency for Standardbreds in the province, OSAS is approaching our 30 th year of spreading the message of the versatility of our breed and finding retired pacers and trotters forever loving homes upon their retirement.
OSAS’s annual stallion auction, an anchor of our fundraising efforts every year, will kick off on February 5 th and run through to February 10, 2024. We are grateful for the breedings already pledged; the full list of names will be announced shortly. Anyone wishing to donate a breeding, or with questions regarding the auction, should reach out to osashorses@gmail.com or call or text 905-339-6748. We’re pleased to announce that this year’s auction will be hosted by Easy Auction. Terms and conditions remain as in previous years.
We are very pleased to use a beautiful photo of Tymal Tempo to spread our Christmas message this season. Now known as Teddy, the five-year-old gelding was recently adopted by Marie-Eve Drouin who graciously allowed OSAS to use her photo for our 2023 holiday image. Teddy is Marie-Eve’s first Standardbred and she is thrilled with him. “I love him to pieces, he is the sweetest and most gentle horse I know,” praised Marie-Eve who began riding when she was seven and living in France. Teddy is currently in training. “I ride him Western and English, he is versatile and his strides are beautiful. I wish to show him eventually. He’s amazing in the ‘in the flat’ classes,” she noted. Bred by Tymal Farms, the son of Kadabra was raced by Julie Walker and earned just over $23,000 in his career which saw him face the gate 18 times. His last start was in April of 2022. A full brother to Haveoneforme ($361,784) and Tymal Riggs ($191,000), Teddy hails from a family of trotting royalty. His second, third and fourth dams are all O’Brien Award winners in Filly At Bigs (2002 - 2tf), Mombasa (1996 – 3tf) and Mygal Haw Lea (1996 – Broodmare of the year). This past year has been a busy one for the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society with many horses like Teddy finding their forever homes. We wish all of our supporters a joyous holiday season and extend special thanks to our fantastic foster farms, wonderful volunteers and extremely supportive board. Peace and Joy to all and sincere wishes for a healthy and happy 2024.
A live draw was held Monday (December 11) evening to announce the winning bidders of the 2023 Santa’s Second Chance Raffle which featured 21 baskets packed with incredible gifts including tickets to the Toronto Maple Leafs and a full harness. The proceeds of this popular event go to the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society which facilitates the retraining and rehoming of retired Standardbreds. The results are as follows. Basket Winner Basket 1 – Makes Scents To Me Adele Rossi Basket 2 – For Her Judy Graham Basket 3 – Lucky Lotto Crystal Legace Basket 4 – Dog Lovers Sue Brooks Basket 5 – Chocolate Lovers Shayne Simms Basket 6 – Game Night Robin MacKay Basket 7 – Show Stopper Jenna McNiven Basket 8 – Movie Night Don Pearson Basket 9 – Girls Night Monique MacLean Basket 10 – Equestrian Lovers Brian Laking Basket 11 – Self Care Linda Feth Basket 12 – Preserves Monique MacLean Basket 13 – Hockey Night Blake MacIntosh Basket 14 – On The Go Cathy Walsh Basket 15 – Little Italy Monique MacLean Basket 16 – Harness Racing Kim Marks Basket 17 – Date Night Monica Goss Basket 18 – Spreads, etc. Norah Parks Basket 19 – Bakers’ Basket Monique MacLean Basket 20 – Equine Care Kim Marks Basket 21 – OSAS Swag Fran Brethour Our sincere appreciation to everyone who took the time to purchase tickets and also to those who donated items to be raffled and congratulations to the successful purchasers. We will be in touch to get your basket items to you. A huge thank you to Emma Christoforou for organizing this wonderful fundraiser with assistance from Jean Posthuma and Joanne Colville. Emma’s goal for this year’s event was $7,500 which she far surpassed as the raffle raised in excess of $8,300. Note – full descriptions of all of the items in each basket can be accessed here.
The Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society is pleased to announce the return of the very popular Santa’s Second Chance Raffles, the proceeds of which go to support the retraining and rehoming of retired Standardbreds. The raffle features a total of 21 gift baskets full of a wide variety of items (including Leaf tickets and a full harness) sure to please even the toughest person to buy for on your list. The tickets are either $2 or $5 depending on the value. You may buy as many tickets as you like and place them in the basket(s) of your choice. Tickets are available for purchase up until midnight December 10, 2023. To pay for the tickets, please send an etransfer to: santassecondchanceraffles@gmail.com and include how many tickets you want to buy and which basket(s) you wish to place them towards – each basket is numbered – in the memo. Please provide your first and last name, as well as your phone number on the ticket if you are not part of the Facebook page which is where all of the available baskets may be viewed. ( Santa’s Second Chance Raffles on Facebook). If you are unable to pick your basket up and would like it shipped, that will be at your expense. There will be a live stream video via Facebook of the draws on Monday, December 11, 2023, time to be announced, likely early evening. Thanks to everyone who participates and supports OSAS this holiday season and kudus to everyone who contributed towards this year’s incredible offerings.
OSAS has welcomed nine new Standardbreds over the past few weeks including trotter Dia Monde who earned in excess of $446,000 during his racing life. Trained by Tom Durand throughout his career, the now 10 year-old gelding competed in several top level stakes events and was very competitive in the Ontario Sires Stakes as well. Bred by Hanover Shoe Farms, the son of Deweycheatumnhowe was a $70,000 yearling purchase at Harrisburg. He is a half-brother to millionaire Looking Hanover and his second dam is the trotting matriarch B Cor Tamara. Dia Monde will enter training before being available to adopt.
