JULY 2020 THE RIDER/ 7 An Equine Love Story


Reprinted from the Ontario Stan- dardbred Adoption Society Web- site www.osas.ca


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


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 Seel-


ster is enjoying retirement sur- rounded by people who love him. And for both, it is a well- earned retirement. Conrad Seel- ster 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


Michelle Hogan’s daughter, Au- tumn, shares her mother’s deep affection for Conrad Seelster.


(Michelle Hogan photo)


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.


by Seelster Farms never left Ontario during his racing days and he competed at 16 different


racetracks in the province in- cluding several which are no longer operating (Sudbury, Elmira, Belleville, Barrie and Windsor). He was ultra consis-


tent, 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


Conrad Seelster winning a Youth Camp race at age 15 following his mandatory retirement from racing. He was driven by a 12-


year-old (at the time) Brianna Dolderman of Elora, Ontario, ac- companied by a professional driver. (Iron Horse Photo)


most successful and never touched WEG tracks. He ex- celled on a half-mile track. I re- member 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


Every year Michelle posts a photo of Conrad on OSAS’s website to let us know how he’s doing. Here’s this year’s gorgeous photo of the now 28 year-old. (Michelle Hogan photo)


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 Con- rad had more lifetime starts than any horse in North America while Kendal Python had the second most. Python would sur- pass him in that category though, as he retired with 494 lifetime trips behind the gate two years later. In that Rideau match-up


Michelle and the Houghtons pose with Conrad following one of his many victories. (Photo courtesy Michelle Hogan)


“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


Maguire would take over the training responsibilities for a handful of starts. In May of Con- rad’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 Flam-


boro Downs and her love for horses led her to become a care- taker. She worked in the Houghton stable looking after


The win photo following Conrad Seelster’s lifetime record per- formance at Clinton Raceway at age 10. The Houghton family and Michelle Hogan are pictured along with winning driver Trevor Henry and his son. (Photo courtesy Eddie Houghton)


Conrad Seelster from 2002 until 2004.


“Conrad was always a gen-


tleman. 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 Con- rad 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


Archie the Barn Mouse has a new Adventure!


Barnmice Books is proud to


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FINDS A NEW HOME, pub- lished in 2019, ARCHIE FINDS THE FILLY tells how, with the help of new friend Buzzy the Bee, Archie goes in search of his BFF Winny’s new grand-daughter…a


brand new baby horse. Together Archie and Buzzy


books


visit all the farmyard families, try- ing to find the new little filly. Lots of fun as they meet all the new ba- bies who arrived this spring and, of course, our little hero finds the filly and introduces her to grandpa Winny. Great for read-alongs and offers colouring pages, too. You can order both of these from www.barnmice-


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and illustrated by Elyse Darby, our children will be delighted with the wonderful tales of Archie the Barnmouse and his friends


Conrad set the pace, and down the lane his rival swept up the inside and the pair battled down the stretch with Conrad prevail- ing by a slight margin. It was Conrad’s last racetrack appear- ance 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, fol-


lowing the winner’s circle pres- entation,


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 con-


cluded 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 re- tired Standardbred horses. At the end of the week they put their skills to the ultimate test, compet- ing in two four-horse exhibition races while accompanied by pro- fessional 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 say- ing 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 hus- band Tim Casson and her pho- tographer 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 pad- dock 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.


wedding day. (Carrie Clarke Scott photography)


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 sum- mer.


“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 re- cently posted of now 28 year-old Conrad Seelster looking fantas- tic, the feeling is mutual.


It was important to Michelle that Conrad be part of her


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