“He showed a lack of respect for people or things that are generally taken seriously.” Yes, “He had an irreverent sense of humor, but could always be counted on for sage advice”.
About 50 years ago, there was nothing I enjoyed more on a Saturday afternoon than to go a few miles north of our home in Mississauga, to the beautiful Woodbine Horse Racing Track. For a lot of those years, the horses of Port Elgins’ own, Jack Stafford, were dominant. And they were trained by the future Hall of Famer, Gill Rowntree.
Just a few years ago, I researched and wrote the story of Mr. Jam and Jelly, Jack Stafford. Today it is told on an interpretive plaque at the entrance to the Port Elgin trailer park that once was our “Fall Fair Grounds”. Standardbreds once trotted and paced there. Doing the research for the plaque, I learned a lot about the Stafford family, his rise to fame and also a lot about the special relationship between the trainer, Gil Rowntree and the owner of some of the best thoroughbred racehorses ever to run in Canada.
To put it in perspective, they both had risen from humble beginnings and rose to be the best in their field. Mr. Stafford and his wife made jams and jellies in their kitchen and mixed them in their bath tub, to start what became a national success story. He went on to compete and win in horse racing against two of the wealthiest men in Canada,; E. P. Taylor and Charles Bronfman.
The family of Gil Rowntree lived in poverty. At 14, and weighing 95 pounds, his dad took him out of school and took him to the racetrack, hoping for him to become a jockey, while cleaning stables for 50 cents a day. He did become a jockey for a short time, but could not hold the weight low enough, and became an assistant to a trainer, walking and caring for the horses. He got a horse trainers license, and started working for small stables.
And then he met Jack Stafford. They both had come from humble beginnings and had a lot of similarities. Together, they took Stafford Farms to the top of the heap in North American Horse racing. Names like Royal Chocolate, Amber Herold, and Sound Reason all won the Queens, Plate emblematic of the best Canadian bred and trained horses. Overskate was probably the best Stafford owned, and Rowntree trained horse. They dominated in both Canada and the United States while setting race track speed records.
One of the best Queens Plate stories ever was when Jack and Gil won their first Queens Plate. The trophy was presented by Queen Elizabeth. The second time, it was presented by the Queen Mother. When Jack was speaking to the Queen mum, he commented about meeting her daughter; “Real nice girl you got there” he said. The lovely Queen Mum smiled and said “Thank You”.
This was the world the way that Jack Stafford and Gil Rowntree saw it.
In 1978, they travelled to Winnipeg and won Western Canadas’ Number one race, the Manitoba Derby. The Stafford family. Gil Rowntree, and jockey Robin Platts were there. They were all “one big family”
Jack Stafford died in 1981.
Mr. Stafford, Gil Rowntree, and jockey Robin Platts are all members of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.
Robin Platts joined us in Saugeen Shores in 2024 for the parade, marking 25 years since the Amalgamation of Port Elgin, Saugeen Township and Southampton.
Gil Rowntree passed away on May 24 at age 92.
