The bay trotter was called Lovim, but no harness driver wanted to drive him, let alone love him . . . that is, until he met a young man named Junior.
As a harness racer, Lovim should have been a contender every time he went out of the gate—his exercise times were consistently fast. But Lovim was a “toe sticker”: if he got into traffic during a race, especially if a sulky cart cut closely in front of him, he’d stop dead in his tracks. And that made him a hazard to his driver and to any horse and driver coming up behind him.
In 1982, Lovim was nine years old, nearly past his prime. He was winning just enough to tease his owner, Canadian Les Rickman, who remained convinced the horse could do better. But that year, Rickman had a bigger problem: he couldn’t find a driver to take Lovim’s reins.
Then he met Don “Junior” MacDonald at Ontario’s Western Fair racetrack. Junior was young (just 22), but he was already building a solid reputation as a harness driver and trainer. Junior knew he still had lots to learn, though, and was eager to work with different horses. So he signed on to drive Lovim.
Junior said later that during the first race he was more concerned with keeping Lovim (and himself) out of harm’s way than with winning. “We finished far off the pace,” he said, “and that was a chore. Lovim knew what he was supposed to be doing—get ahead and stay ahead. Holding him back to keep him out of traffic wore me out.”
Even so, Rickman was pleased with Lovim’s outing. He hired Junior as the horse’s trainer and regular driver. Junior could see that this was a horse who loved to race—he just didn’t like other horses in front of him. The two worked hard together, but the toe-sticking continued.
Junior couldn’t figure out how to solve the problem until Lovim finally gave him the answer. The pair started a race on the far outside, stayed there throughout—and won. After that, no matter the horse’s starting position, Junior put him on the outside as quickly as possible. It worked. Lovim posted eight straight victories.
The horse had another lesson in store for Junior, though. During a race later that season, Lovim was just outside the leader when the sulkies turned down the stretch. The reins slipped from Junior’s hands, and he lost control.
But Lovim knew what was expected of him. He didn’t deviate. He breezed past the leader and won the race.
By 1984, Les Rickman had sold Lovim, and Junior had moved on to drive and train other horses. Junior had married, and his wife was expecting a baby that December. He also owned a couple of horses of his own—not great champions, but he hoped they’d eventually win enough to pay for their feed and stable fees.
Then, in September 1984, Junior was struck with a fast-moving, debilitating heart disease. Without a heart transplant, doctors told him, he probably wouldn’t live to see his baby born. He was just 24, and his name was put on a waiting list for a heart. Within a month of the diagnosis, his spirits had withered almost as much as his body.
In those dark moments, Junior began thinking about Lovim, the horse who, when given a chance, always had the will to win. Lovim had struggled with injuries, yet if called on, he always overcame them. The horse became a powerful spiritual anchor for Junior.
On December 13, 1984, Junior got a new heart. Ten days later, his son was born. In January 1985, he was already back at the track—though only as a spectator. His old friend Lovim was on the race card that night.
Unfortunately, Lovim’s racing career was nearly over. He’d been dropped down in class to trot in a lowly $1,500 claimer. His decline had been swift. Just a year before, he’d been racing for $7,500 purses. But even at $1,500, he finished out of the money. Lovim was old and arthritic, worn beyond his years. If he was lucky, he might be bought as a buggy horse. If he wasn’t lucky, he’d go to a slaughterhouse. Junior wouldn’t allow that.
Before he left the track that night, Junior borrowed enough money to buy Lovim. He had no intention of racing the horse, though. Instead, Junior donated him to the Special Ability Riding Institute, a southern Ontario riding facility for children with disabilities. Lovim took to his new role immediately and soon became a favorite with students.
As for Junior, he retired from racing and training in 1987. Since then, he has traded his reins for golf clubs and his sulky for a golf cart. He is now part-owner of a golf course near Ottawa.
•A horse’s teeth take up more space than its brain.
•Horses don’t have a gall bladder.
•A horse can’t breathe through its mouth.