22/ JULY 2025 THE RIDER


Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame An- nounces 2025 Legend Inductees


The Legend category


of the Canadian Horse Rac- ing Hall of Fame was origi- nally introduced as a four-year millennium project to honour Canadians who had a significant impact on horse racing at home or on the International scene or those from the International community who had a signif- icant impact on Canadian racing. After the initial run, the category was paused for several years before being re- vived in 2013 to acknowl- edge additional figures who played pivotal roles in the development of Canadian horse racing. The most re- cent additions to the category were Dan Patch in 2019 and Man o’ War in 2020. In recent years, the


CHRHF has undertaken ex- tensive historical research to uncover previously over- looked individuals


and


horses - those “Unsung He- roes” and “Trailblazers” whose contributions helped shape the sport in Canada. As a result, the Legends cate- gory has been reactivated once again, with new in- ductees set to be honoured in 2025.


tees have voted to induct two inductees in 2025.


Canadian harness racing, Roberta Marie “Bobbe” Huntress Erdman spent much of her ground-breaking career north of the border. On the track, she was cele- brated for her sharp driving skills and standout perform- ances – most notably her re- markable season with Wee Irish and a stunning streak of six consecutive wins with Wee Ginger at Connaught Park in 1955, when she was just 19. She returned to Con- naught Park in 1959 and con- tinued to compete across Canada, setting track records at Old Woodbine in 1961. Off the track, Huntress


The Legend Commit- hypocrisy


was a vocal and courageous advocate against sexism and discrimination in the sport. In the 1960s, she challenged restrictive licensing rules that effectively barred women from participating in ex- tended race meetings unless they had previously held such licenses – an exclusion- ary policy that froze out new female talent. Speaking out against these barriers, she fa- mously said, “Arguments against our sex driving horses are often ridiculous.” She pointed out of


allowing


women to race at dangerous, poorly maintained fair tracks while denying them access to safer, professional cir- cuits. Huntress’s fierce ad-


vocacy and visibility helped shine a national spotlight on harness racing. She was fea- tured in Sports Illus- trated‘s “Pat on the Back” column and ap- peared on the popular television show To Tell the Truth. Alongside fellow pioneers like Mildred Williams, CHRHF Class of 2012 and Georgette Plouffe, she paved the way for future generations of women in racing. With decades of serv-


ice to the industry as both a skilled horse-


Roberta Marie “Bobbe” Huntress Erdman – 2025 Standardbred Legend Inductee


As an American who made a lasting impact on


woman and an unrelenting trailblazer, Bobbe Huntress left a powerful legacy of courage and progress. She passed away on September 2, 1998, but her impact on the sport continues to be felt.


One of her most no-


table partnerships was with Tinkham Veale II, a prominent Cleveland in- dustrialist and philan- thropist. As the principal trainer for Veale’s suc- cessful racing stable, Wilma conditioned Vital Force, a top-class stakes winner in the late 1950s. Under her guidance, Vital Force captured prestigious races such as the Tremont Stakes, Worlds


Stakes, Cherry Hill Stakes,


Playground Christiana


Wilma Kennedy – 2025


Thoroughbred Legend In- ductee


Wilma Kennedy was a the


proud Canadian horsewoman from Winnipeg, Manitoba, whose pioneering spirit shat- tered barriers for women in Thoroughbred racing – par- ticularly in Western Canada. Born Wilma Patricia Ches- ney in 1910, she began her career at Polo Park, her hometown track, where she made a name for herself as a fearless and capable trainer. In a time when the racetrack backstretch was virtually off- limits to women – aside from a few trainers’ wives – Wilma not only entered the male-dominated world of horse racing, she trans- formed it. As one admirer put it, “Wilma didn’t just break barriers, she exploded them.” In her mid-20s, Wilma


began breeding, owning, rac- ing, and training her own Thoroughbreds, defying so- cial norms and carving out a space for women in a tradi- tionally closed industry. Her talents soon took her far be- yond Manitoba. Throughout the 1940s and ’50s, she trained at major tracks across North America – including Belmont, Saratoga, and Aqueduct in New York; Santa Anita and Hollywood Park


in


Stakes – defeating major competitors


Board, Bally Ache, Mr. Howard, and Neshenun. Wilma Kennedy’s im-


pact extended internation- ally. Over the course of her career, she bred, owned, and trained Thoroughbreds in Canada, the US, England, France, and Germany. She managed extensive breeding operations in Florida, Ken- tucky, France, and Canada, and was admired for both her horsemanship and leader- ship. In recognition of her accomplishments, she be- came the first woman ever elected to the American Thoroughbred Trainers Club. In the 1990s, a stakes race at Ellis Park was named in her honour.


Wilma Kennedy


passed away at the age of 90, leaving behind a powerful legacy as a trailblazer, men- tor, and icon in the world of Thoroughbred racing. The Canadian Horse


Racing Hall of Fame 2025 Legend Inductees will be for- mally inducted as part of the organization’s


Induction


Gala, scheduled to take place at the Mississauga Conven- tion Centre the evening of Wednesday, August 6, 2025.


For information about California;


Keeneland and Churchill Downs in Kentucky; and many more.


the CHRHF Class of 2025 or to purchase tickets to attend this year’s Induction Gala visit: https://bit.ly/3TxgVLA


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