How this P.E.I. racehorse is making the most of his 'retirement'

Harry has been a busy horse since he arrived at the Woodmere standardbred breeding farm in Marshfield, P.E.I., almost four years ago.

He's sired about 40 foals — with more on the way — and last year, at age 10, he made a triumphant return to harness racing after a three-year absence.

Now, he's become a philanthropist, raising money for cancer.

Woodmere is offering ownership shares in Harry — short for Rollwithitharry — for $60 for the 2019 harness racing season on P.E.I. The proceeds will go to the Harness the Hope fundraiser in support of breast cancer on July 27 at Red Shores in Charlottetown.

Bruce Wood, who operates Woodmere Farms, said it's not only a way to raise money for cancer but also to introduce people to harness racing and show "what a neat animal the horse is."

"We had a lot of fun watching Harry last winter," he said. "We thought that we'd want to share that fun."

Wood had planned to use Harry strictly as a stallion for breeding when he purchased him in 2015 from a stable in New York. Harry had nothing left to prove the track — he had won about $650,000 over his career in some of the top races in North America.

We just thought it would be good for his mental health for him just to go back to the track and get a little extra TLC.— Bruce Wood

But the life of a stallion on a breeding farm can be a lonely one, Wood said, with the exception of a couple months of the year. He said Harry was always playful and energetic, and loved to race cars and trucks up and down the driveway.

Harry, it would seem, wasn't ready for retirement.

"We just thought it would be good for his mental health for him just to go back to the track and get a little extra TLC which they do a great job of in the stables there and get bathed every day and that kind of stuff," Wood said.

"And so he really really got engaged when he got back there and we weren't sure how it was going to go, but it ended up being a bit of fun."

Harry won five of his 13 races last year. Wood hopes Harry will be ready to race again by July.

Some of Harry's two-year-old offspring will be racing this year as well, though not against their sire.

Wood expects Harry will race about three times a month — including at the Summerside Lobster Carnival and Old Home Week — until the season ends in January.

The more owners cheering on Harry, the better, Wood said, noting so far they've sold about 70 shares in the horse. Wood said the $60 goes directly to Harness the Hope, and owners will not be responsible for any expenses to maintain Harry. Any profits from purse winnings will be donated to the cancer society at the end of the year, he said.

Shareholders will discover all facets of owning a standardbred racehorse, Wood said, including access to the racing stables and breeding farm and, on those lucky nights, photo ops in the winner's circle.

Wood, who lost a sister and brother-in-law to cancer, said it's interesting and heartwarming to hear why people are buying shares in Harry.

"There's a lot of them that have a nice story to them," he said. "We weren't anticipating that and that's been a great bonus for us to hear."

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