Hollywood Ham Needs A New Role
August 19, 2020
The Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society’s newest member has likely had more drivers and trips around a racetrack than just about any other harness horse. Hollywood Ham faced the gate 135 times during his racing career but made hundreds more trips around all sized tracks as one of the equine stars of the popular Hands On Horses team.
That program visited many of Ontario’s racetracks where patrons were invited to enter to win the chance to sit behind one of the Standardbred racehorses for a trip around the track between races. As every track operator can attest, this was a very popular attraction, engaging fans, young and not so young, who lined up for the unique experience.
Hollywood Ham, known affectionately as ‘Woody’, and his partners in Hands On Horses converted many casual racetrack goers to devoted fans after their trip around the oval. The horses wouldn’t just give them a ride, they would allow their passengers the chance to have a photo taken with them and they stood for hours as they were given treats and pets by the delighted fans.
Stacey Reinsman, Woody’s owner and trainer, was usually the driver behind her beloved pacer as she gave rides to hundreds of folks behind him in the two seated sulky.
“He actually started giving rides with Hands on Horses while he was still racing and he quickly adapted to giving rides and I think preferred it to racing. I can clearly remember one night when I was warming him up to race and he saw a kid standing near the winner's circle (where we would always pick kids up to give them a ride) and he tried to stop the warm up because he wanted to pick the kid up to give him a ride. I think it was shortly after this that I knew he was ready to stop racing and focus on promoting the sport by giving rides and we never looked back until COVID that is,” said Stacey recently.
Bred by Chris Christoforou and Bobbi Morley, the now 12 year-old son of Mach Three is the second foal from Access Hollywood who took her life mark of 1:52.4 at Woodbine in her three-year-old season. She earned $145,000 during her career. Her son wasn’t quite as successful but he did take in over $55,000 during his racing career.
Stacey’s history with the horse goes back several years. “I met Woody when he wasn't even a full year old on a farm and shortly after made arrangements to purchase him as a yearling. He was a little bit afraid as a baby, very timid, but he trusted me and we bonded instantly. He has become much more laid back over the years and really loves kids.”
Hollywood Ham’s last career start was in October of 2015. “I stopped racing him for a variety of reasons,” explained Stacey. “He wasn't able to perform to the level of his competitors and I didn't want to put him in lower claiming races.”
From that time until a few months ago he and Stacey were still quite active with the Hands On Horses program and the horse absolutely excelled in his second career.
“Woody was so good at interacting with the public, especially kids. He would just stand there for kids to pet him in the paddock or walking along the fence beside the track and not many horses will do that while on a racetrack. Woody loves kids, his whole demeanour changes when a child is petting his face, he relaxes right into the touch of their hand. He also quickly adapted to standing and waiting on the track for the cart to be loaded, which a lot of horses struggle to feel comfortable with,” noted Stacey.
Allowing patrons the chance to ride behind our magnificent Standardbreds is easily one of the most popular fan interaction ever introduced. However, in this era of COVID with no patrons or on track promotions, Woody found himself out of a job and Stacey was faced with the difficult decision regarding his future.
“With the end of the program Woody is in need of a new career and purpose as I am no longer able to offer him the time and love he needs and deserves. He has had his career as a racehorse, his second career promoting the sport and now due to COVID he is ready for his third career as a companion and riding horse. I unfortunately am at a place in my life where I can't offer him the time and interaction he deserves.
“I actually always dreamed of living in the country and giving him a forever home, however, life didn't work out that way and I'm hoping to find someone else who can offer him a loving forever home. I also chose OSAS because of their outstanding reputation for placing horses in adoptive homes, I trust their ability to find him a home that will be the right fit for him.”
Once Woody has settled in at an OSAS foster farm, he’ll be trained to ride. He does have some experience as Stacey started sitting on his back when he was three and riding when he was four.
“He never even hesitated in the saddle, he is happy to walk along through the trails and nothing really bothers him while riding. He is a very adaptable horse and is willing to take on new experiences and learned quickly how to take me on long trail rides.
“I am hoping for him to be placed in a home where he can have a connection and bond with someone special. I am hoping he will have a pasture with another horse because he loves to make friends. And potentially hoping someone will want to drive or ride him to give him continued purpose at this stage in his life. I ultimately want him to be loved and happy for the rest of his life. He has given so much to the sport of harness racing and I want to see him lovingly rewarded for that.”
Once again the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society is pleased to present the Christmas Second Chance Raffle named to reflect our mission to give retired Standardbreds a second chance and forever home. To participate please view the baskets being offered this year at the Facebook page Santa's Second Chance Raffles. Select the ones you wish to bid on and purchase however many tickets you want for it. Ticket prices are $2 or $5 depending upon the basket. Here’s how it works. Raffle tickets can be purchased from November 29th 2025 through to midnight on December 13th 2025. Tickets may be paid through e-transfer to santassecondchanceraffles@gmail.com . In the message please indicate how many tickets you are purchasing and for what baskets. You may also pay in cash in person to Emma Christoforou, Joanne Colville or Jean Posthuma. If you wish to pay by credit card please message Emma to set up a convenient time to do so. If you are unable to pick your basket up and would like it shipped, shipping will be at the basket winners’ expense. The winners will be announced on a live stream on Sunday, December 14, 2025, time to be determined. We encourage you to invite as many people as possible to the Facebook page and the raffle. If you have any questions please contact Joanne at 905-339-6748 or email: osashorses@gmail.com . Thanks to everyone who supports this fundraiser, everyone who contributed to a basket and volunteers behind the scenes, it is all very much appreciated. This year there are 24 gift baskets to choose from as follows. To see full descriptions of each basket please go to the Santa’s Second Chance Raffles group on Facebook by clicking here. 2025 Santa’s Second Chance Baskets #1 – Dog Lovers -Grooming Session, various toys & treats. #2 – Date Night – Restaurant Gift Cards #3 – Mast Harness #4 – Beauty Basket #5 – Custom Equine Designs #6 – On The Go #7 – Hopples & Hangers #8 – Coffee Lovers #9 – Chocolate Lover #10 – Lottery Lover - $125 worth of tickets. #11 – Horse Lovers #12 – Girls Night Out #13 – Preserves #14 – Game Night #15 – Family Night #16 – Wine & Cheese collection #17 - Newborn #18 – Self Care #19 – Car Care #20 – Hockey Night – Leaf tickets #21 - Home #22 – Equine Omega Alpha #23 – LZR Wheels (2025) #24 – OSAS Swag Thanks to everyone for their support, good luck and happy shopping.
It’s not often that OSAS has a two-year-old in our program but Naso Hanover is not your average two-year-old. “He’s just an old soul. He’s like a 20-year-old horse that’s been doing it forever,” Susan Mollica told WEG’s Matthew Loman in this week’s installment of OSAS Pathways which may be read through the link below. https://woodbine.com/mohawk/mohawk-insider/osas-pathways-naso-hanover/
The Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society will celebrate its 30 th anniversary next year and over those three decades several people have adopted more than one horse from our program. That’s certainly the case with Julie Wilson and her husband Rod MacLean, both retired police sergeants. The couple operate Northumbria Equine in Port Hope, Ontario, and have adopted four retired Standardbreds thus far from OSAS, the most famous of which is millionaire pacer Easy Lover Hanover. Affectionately referred to by Julie as ‘the boss of the barn,’ Easy Lover is the latest horse featured in WEG’s OSAS Pathway’s feature which may be read through the link below. https://woodbine.com/mohawk/mohawk-news/osas-pathways-easy-lover-hanover/
The Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society is pleased to welcome the tough campaigner, Derf Hanover to our program. The talented trotter earned well over half a million dollars the hard way with 234 career starts in 10 seasons at the track. A son of Cantab Hall, Derf earned his life mark of 1:52.3 last year as a 10-year-old while racing at Mohawk. A regular on the WEG circuit for the past few years, Derf started his racing career south of the border under the guidance of trainer Ake Svanstedt. Bred by the renowned Hanover Shoe Farms, Derf sold as a yearling for $45,000. It wasn’t until his four-year-old season that he found his groove and he performed steadily for the next few years earning an average of $87,000 in each of his next six years at the track. From his five-year-old season on he raced in Ontario (with the exception of four starts at Harrahs in 2021). His last full season of racing was spent in the stable of Amanda and Tom Riley who remember him fondly. “Derf is quite the character; he likes to put on that he’s a grumpy old man but with some treats and scratches he melts right into you. He’s great with other horses; usually when he finds his pal he doesn’t let anyone else in his little posse. He’s as tough as they come,” said Tom recently. Derf Hanover is the most talented of his dam’s offspring, but his family is loaded with top performers. His dam is a half-sister to $200,000 winner Cocktail Hour who in turn is the dam of $1.3 million winner Bar Hopping. His second dam is a full sister to the great JEFS Spice. OSAS welcomes Derf Hanover into our program where he will enter training once he’s decompressed from racetrack life.
Iron tough racehorse and well loved retiree Conrad Seelster has passed. He was 33. The son of Threefold made an incredible 445 starts during his racing career with a lifetime summary of 54-61-61 for $310,285 in earnings. He was adopted from the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society at the conclusion of his racing career by noted equine artist Michelle Hogan Casson of Miller Lake, Ontario. Conrad happily spent the last 15 years as part of Michelle’s family. His story was shared by OSAS a few years back and may be read https://www.osas.ca/osas-stories#AnEquineLoveStory
WEG’s Matthew Lemon is spotlighting horses connected to the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society in a bi-weekly feature called OSAS Pathways. Playsomthincountry is featured in the latest installment. The 16-year-old pacer hails from two of Canada’s longest running and well known Standardbred nurseries. He was bred by Seelster Farms, a stalwart in the industry for many years now and now operated by the second generation of Van Bussel family. His dam, Daylon Luxury, was bred and raised by Dave and Mary Lemon’s Daylon Farms of Komoka, Ontario. Playsomthincountry is a half-brother to $200,000 winner Luxury Seelster p, 4, 1:53s and another sister, Luxury Vacation, is the dam of a horse currently racing in Ontario, Honolulu Vacation. That four-year-old by Betterthancheddar earned his life mark of 1:53s with a win at Mohawk earlier this year. Honolulu Vacation last raced this past Sunday (October 26) at Flamboro for trainer Cody Hawkins who was also the trainer and owner of Playsomthincountry during his career. To read the story, please use the link below.  https://woodbine.com/mohawk/mohawk-news/osas-pathways-playsomthincountry/
Matthew Lomon of Woodbine Entertainment has started a series which will be updated twice a month and feature a horse connected to the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society. The feature began this week with Beach Bet the first horse in the spotlight. A five-year-old son of All Bets Off, Beach Bet is currently training at the foster farm of Susan and Bert Mollica before embarking on his second career as a riding horse. Beach Bet, who Susan refers to as an equine Dennis The Menace, has royalty in his bloodlines as his second dam is a half-sister to one of the best pacers of all time, Somebeachsomewhere. The story may be read through this link. OSAS is a charitable organization founded in 1996 to assist in the adoption and relocation of retired and non-racing Standardbred horses and showcases the versatility of the breed.
Reverend Hanover was a star on the track during his racing career but he’s even busier these days representing the Standardbred breed as one of the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society’s ambassadors. Now 13, the son of Sportswriter’s most recent promotion was an appearance on Breakfast Television on September 18. OSAS’s Joanne Colville brought Reverend to Mohawk Racetrack where she met with CITY TV’s Rick Campanelli along with leading driver Bob McClure. Outfitted in Louis-Philippe Roy’s colours, Rick went for a tour around Mohawk with Bob as they discussed the upcoming incredible night of racing on Saturday night which features two $1 million races – the Mohawk Million and Metro Final for rookie trotters and pacers respectively along with the rich Elengantimage, Shes A Great Lady and Canadian Trotting Classic finals. “As always Rev was a rockstar,” Joanne noted. “He’s always such a professional and today was no different. Part of OSAS’s mandate is to showcase the Standardbred breed and he’s perfect for that role.” A couple of week ago Reverend Hanover participated, along with another OSAS ambassador, The Painted Pony, at Mohawk’s Community Day which encouraged patrons to bring their family to the track and get a close up look at a harness horse. Many of the visitors were able to sit beside a driver and ride behind Reverend as he took guests around the racetrack. Giving folks a new perspective of racing, from the actual driver’s view, is nothing new for Reverend Hanover. For several years now he has served as OSAS’s Drive With Us horse. Throughout the summer he is on hand at the Campbellville track pulling double duty. At the start of the evening he serves as the Meet & Greet horse and then gives folks rides around the oval in between races. During his career Reverend Hanover was a top performer in the Ontario Sires Stakes program. In total he made 27 lifetime starts and earned $551,213. He last raced in 2017 but he still makes lots of trips around the racetrack in his ambassador role. To watch the CITY TV segment please click here.
Iron horse Wheels On Fire has joined the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society where he’ll be trained for a second career after excelling at his first. As a racehorse the now 10 year-old faced the gate 197 times. He retires with an impressive summary of 51-41-29 and $1.2 million in earnings. The son of Somebeachsomewhere began his career as a two-year-old in 2017 and retired in September of 2025. His most productive year was 2022, as a seven-year-old, when he won more than $316,000 racing primarily in the preferred class on the WEG circuit. The previous season he won the O’Brien Award as Canada’s top older male pacer of the year. “He has been a great horse to have as well as a fan favourite for many years. He retires with over $1.2 million on his card as well as an O’Brien Award to his credit,” noted owner Brad Grant when he announced Wheels On Fire’s retirement last month. Wheels On Fire’s dam, Ab Fab, is a sister to three millionaire performers – Ashlees Big Guy, Betterthancheddar and Courtly Choice. She is also a sister to the dam of the fastest harness horse of all time, Bulldog Hanover. OSAS is honoured to assist this talented performer as he transitions into life away from the racetrack.
The Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society is very fortunate to be strongly supported by the entire harness racing industry in the province and that was certainly evident from yesterday’s annual golf tournament. The popular event sold out quickly and Wildwinds Golf Course was an ideal course once again this year. OSAS is sincerely grateful to everyone who contributed to this year’s success – the golfers, the sponsors, our incredible volunteers and support staff and all those who contributed prizes. We, and all of the OSAS horses, acknowledge and appreciate your support.
