“I grew up at Kinghaven Farms which my dad managed for many years. I was literally surrounded by some of the best racehorses in Canada for most of my childhood and any one of these could have been the horse that changed my life. But it was a thoroughbred that I was given when I was 15 off of the track that really did change my life.
“Josh” was a very flashy chestnut gelding that I had the opportunity to try to make into a show horse. He had little success as a racehorse, but in his second career he was a star. He was everything you would want a show horse to be…flashy, a great mover, brave, tons of scope…he pretty much had everything going for him and I loved him. He was my first opportunity to really work with a thoroughbred up close.
The winter I was 16 I was in a very bad car accident. I had multiple injuries including a ruptured spleen, and multiple facial injuries. I had to have three reconstructive surgeries done on my face. At this time my coach, Eric Lamaze, had started to show Josh (Follow the Sun) in some shows and he literally won everything. So of course my parents were offered a pretty good amount of money for him, but they turned it down so that I could keep him and have a project to work on while I recovered. Having the opportunity to come back from my accident and ride and show again was amazing and he definitely became a very important part of my life.
I think he was the horse who really solidified my love of thoroughbreds. I’ve spent the last 18 years working at Woodbine Racetrack as a Veterinary Technician and every time I see a flashy chestnut with lots of white, I immediately remember Josh and all of the fantastic times and opportunities I had with him.”
By Sarah Black Bowen, for Ontario Horse Racing
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