By: Chris Lomon
All photos courtesy of Mr. Will Wong
There’s always a moment – the one
Janeen Lalsingh lives for – when she walks into Barn No. 39 on the Woodbine backstretch and is reminded that there’s nowhere else she’d rather be.
Her smile is both big and genuine. You can see it in the pictures, the countless ones of her and the horses, the images she looks at time and again.
From the time she pulls up to trainer Malcolm Pierce’s barn up until the moments before she leaves for home, Lalsingh is truly in her happy place.
Just what makes the groom’s bond with the horses so special?
“How intelligent they are,” started Lalsingh, whose family has been involved in horse racing for three generations in Trinidad and Tobago. ”They love you unconditionally and they have big hearts. And when they trust you, it’s the ultimate compliment.”
For the past 13 years, Lalsingh has worked for Pierce and his wife, Sally, who handles the reins as the outfit’s assistant trainer.
There have been plenty of highlights for the Pierce operation, wins that prompt a mixture of cheers and tears from Lalsingh. Admittedly, she has a habit of standing out in the crowd.
Queen’s Plate day, three years ago, would be an ideal example.
“Winning the Grade 2 Dance Smartly Stakes with Overheard in 2014 is a memorable moment that comes to mind,” offered Lalsingh. “I think I deafened the people next to me screaming, ‘Peanut.’ That’s her nickname.
“When they win, it’s a combination of elation and pride, knowing all your hard work, the blood, sweat and tears, has paid off,” she continued. “It’s a team effort from everyone – Malcolm, Sally, the jockey, exercise rider and hotwalker.”
Asking her to pick out a favourite horse over the years is greeted with a laugh. Seconds later, she somewhat grudgingly offers up a few names.
“This is like asking a parent who their favourite child is,” she quipped. “Overheard was a little filly with a very big heart and personality. She was a classy filly to work with and always protective of me if I was having a bad day or not feeling well. A dead heat for second favourite would go to Don’t Leave Me, and Much Obliged. Both are all class, too. But I think the biggest thing for me is how lucky I am to work with these beautiful animals.”
It’s something she thinks of constantly, whether she’s in the barn, cheering (loudly) from the rail, heading into work, driving home from Woodbine, or looking at the photos of her “children.”
On this day, Lalsingh is a little down, lamenting an empty barn.
“I feel like those parents whose kids leave home for the first time,” she offered. “Our horses have left for their winter quarters – to Florida and Kentucky – and I feel like I’m suffering from empty-nest syndrome.”
Lalsingh goes from wistful to grateful when the topic turns to her life in racing.
“I’m proud that I work with a top-class racing outfit that put both the well-being of the people and our horses first,” she said. “Our facility at Woodbine is top-class. We have one of best turf courses in North America. And how many people can say that they were in the same barn with both Canadian Horse of the Year, Up With The Birds, and American Horse of the Year, Wise Dan at the same time? Incredible.”
It’s far from the only thing Lalsingh takes great pride in.
“There are so many women involved in every aspect of this industry and that’s not so in many parts of the world,” she said. “So yes, I am very proud to be part of the racing industry in Ontario.”
It certainly shows.
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