Hi. My name is Jeff “Skippy” Bowen. I work at Woodbine Racetrack as assistant trainer to Ian Black.
It’s hard to pick just one horse, so I’m going to give you two.
Highcroft (Devil Boy) was probably the first horse I ever had real emotions for. He was trained by Al Quanbeck and when he was a two year old, ran through three fences and into an iron gate, and to date had one of the worst leg injuries that I had to care for. When he finally made it back into training, we were in New Orleans and they have schooling races there. Mickey Walls rode him and he won by six lengths. In his next start at the Dueling Grounds, with Robbie Albarado up, he won again. After that start, I got a tattoo of a baby devil so I would always remember him. His next start was at Woodbine Racetrack so it brought me home. His start was on Halloween and he ran second to Barb Minshall’s Arachnaphobia.
The other horse would be Rahy’s Attorney (
pictured, with Ian Black, Emma-Jayne Wilson and Jeff) , who won the Woodbine Mile and was trained by Ian Black, my father-in-law. He was the first horse who really put us on the map and was the first stable star. He was a very honest horse and he could compete with the best in the world, including a trip to Japan. He finished his career winning 10 stakes and $2.3 million, which is the most of any Ontario-sired horse, ever.
As for fondest memories of the horses away from the racetrack, for Highcroft it’s simple: he taught me that with hard work and dedication (and a little luck) that horses are truly amazing animals and can overcome almost anything.
Rahy’s Attorney was the first Woodbine horse to have a Facebook page and lots of fans. He loved being at the racetrack so much that even when he was retired he spent time as Keeneland’s racetrack pony.
When I think of Highcroft, the first thing that comes to mind is how much heart he had (and of course my tattoo). When I think of Rahy’s Attorney, the first thing to come to mind is the wonderful friendship that developed with his owners Joe and Ellen MacLellan (and family) that continues long after his retirement.
By Jeff Bowen
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