Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Odds On Racing's

Trainer of the Month
for June 2011

Buddy Gilmour

Buddy Gilmour

Born in Lucan, Ont., in 1932, Buddy Gilmour gravitated to harness racing at an early age, and worked for and learned from Hall of Famer Clint Hodgins. Gilmour went on his own in the early 1950s and won his first race at Toronto's Dufferin Park in 1952.

He started driving on the Buffalo-Batavia circuit shortly after that and competed there until 1962. That was the year he lost his entire 18 horse stable in a barn fire at Batavia Downs. That loss included his two prized horses, pacer Howard Rosecroft and trotter Demon Damsel.

Gilmour in the bike

After having lost his livelihood and with the meet drawing to a close at Batavia, Mr. Gilmour surmised there was little else to do but move to another track in order to support his family. That is when he moved to the Big Apple and set up shop at Yonkers and Roosevelt. After that move, he recorded $1 million-plus seasons 15 times, a mark which at one time put him fourth in this category.

Gilmour was fortunate to have teamed with some of the sport's best horses over the years including On The Road Again, Follow My Star, Stienam, Joie De Vie, Mirror Image and Millers Scout. His record of 5,381 wins and more than $44 million in purse earnings signify that he indeed ranked as one of the best.

Of his many highlights, Gilmour said 1984 and 1985 will always hold a special place in his heart. Those were the years he and On The Road Again teamed up to become an almost unbeatable combination. The colt was Canada’s Horse of the Year both seasons. He was the USTA’s Three-Year-Old Pacing Colt champion and Aged Pacing Horse of the year in 1985.
OnTheRoadAgain

Buddy & OTRA
OTRA during his career with Gilmour in the bike won the Cane, Messenger, Confederation Cup, Western Canada Pacing Derby, New Jersey Classic, Nat Christie and Provincial Cup, Canadian Pacing Derby and the World Cup Pacing Championship.

"He was the best I ever drove, without question,” Gilmour said. “He danced every dance. He didn’t dodge anybody. He raced on all size tracks and at all the distances, plus he was an absolute joy to drive. I'll never have another horse like him."

Gilmour was inducted into the Canadian Racing Hall of Fame in 1988 and the Hall of Fame in Goshen, New York, in 1989.

In 1992, at the age of 60, Gilmour formally retired, although he would continue to drive periodically in special events until 2003. During and after his career, spanning forty tremendous years, Gilmour always contended the same thing about his chosen profession.

“It’s been a great life and I can honestly say I never felt like I was going to work one single day."

Buddy passed away at age 78 on May 23, 2011.