The death of her Majesty Queen Elizabeth brings to close the end of an era, a 70-year reign of a Monarch. She is a Monarch who most Canadians, particularly those in the ‘boomer-age’ population, have grown up with.
For those living in Bruce County, where the names of Southampton, Port Elgin, Stafford St., Catherine St., James St. and many others go far back to their roots from ancestors in the United Kingdom, the loss of her Majesty has been especially meaningful.
She did however, also have ties to the area through her love of horses and the traditional Queen’s Plate, Canada’s oldest Thoroughbred horse race, having been founded in 1860. It is also the oldest continuously run race in North America.
Jack Stafford, originally of Port Elgin, owned two farms south of Port Elgin – one on Concession 6 and another on Hwy. 21. Many of his money-winning horses were, in fact, housed on the Bruce County farms, including Queen’s Plate winner, Royal Chocolate, winner in 1973.
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip attended their second Queen’s Plate, the 114th running, that was won by Royal Chocolate, owned by Stafford Farms, trained by Gil Rowntree and ridden by Ted Colangelo.
Then, in 1974, Stafford farms again won the Queen’s Plate with Amber Herod.
According to write-ups of the time, those two years provided Stafford with great enjoyment as he had the opportunity to meet both Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth in 1973 and Her Royal Highness, the Queen Mother in 1974 in the winner’s circle.
In an article from 1976, he said, “It’s good training and that good old Bruce County air that made him (Royal Chocolate) the horse he is, plus the fresh and energy-building grass of Saugeen Township.”
According to his son Gordon, his legacy is that he didn’t have one. “He believed you live, work, then go to heaven, very simple. When writing a book was suggested, he couldn’t understand why he could be interesting, he was that modest. He gave cash, food, and furniture, etc. to the Chippewa ‘Indians’ in Southampton, but no one ever knew.
Jack Stafford was a guy who loved Bruce County and his country, loved life, loved working, loved Jesus but respected all religions, and never hurt a fly.”
