Trot Insider has learned that longtime groom Martin Mager was killed the morning of Tuesday, June 23 when he was hit by a tractor-trailer on Highway 6
in between Campbellville Rd. and Mountsberg Rd.
Chaplin Ken from the Mohawk Racetrack backstretch told Trot Insider this morning that the individual involved in the tragic accident was Mager, a skilled and well-liked groom that resided in the dormitories at the Campbellville, Ont. racing facility.
Mager, who worked with some of the industry's top horsepeople and horses, was 51. He worked as a groom since he was 17 years of age.
Chaplin Ken told Trot Insider that Mager is survived by his sister, April O'Neill, a resident of California.
A memorial service for Mager will take place Tuesday, June 30 in the chapel located in the Mohawk backstretch. The memorial will get underway at 3:00 p.m.
Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the friends and family of Martin Mager.
For more on the incident, read a report by The Hamilton Spectator here.
Horse's Keeper by Jessie
Horse's Keeper by Jessie O'Neil (Marty's niece)
For a moment time stopped
And a mighty beast trembled, still
With glassy black eyes fixed
He gave in to life's final battle
And for a moment, pride surrendered
As a steady warrior stopped to kneel
With heavy heart and thoughts and breath
He bowed to his fallen companion
For a lifetime a human knew animal love
And all modern meaning crumbled
With new purpose honed from the ashes
So was born a horse's keeper
My thoughts and prayers go
My thoughts and prayers go out to Martin and his family at this very difficult time. I only knew Martin briefly when I would pass through the barns on my patrols, but would stop and chat briefly with him, what a very pleasant and nice guy, he was always very supportive when I did my Parkinson's 50/50 charity drive. What a tragic and sad loss, I hope he has found peace, God bless.
Tony Roe, Mohawk Security.
Marty was special and we
Marty was special and we seemed to have unigue bond. On several occasions and in our last conversation at the Chaplaincy last week he commented that he still missed my husband Dave, who was his friend long before I met him.
Marty, I pray Dave is being your tour quide in heaven now. Please tell him I still miss him too. May you rest in a peace you could not find here.
Judi
I cannot count the number of
I cannot count the number of times over the 30 plus years I have been a caretaker, and have been beside Marty in the paddock in some race or another. We would shoot the breeze all night about anything but horses actually, and I always found him very knowledgable about the world and current events. He always struck me as such a solitary soul, but he always made me laugh at the stupidity of things that happen in life somethimes. I just saw him the Friday night of the Grassroots 3 year old filly pacers at Flamboro and he and I shared a few chuckles.
It must be as low a place a person can be when the question is not "Why kill myself?", but instead "Why not?".
I hope Martin's journey now takes him to a more beautiful and kinder place where the sun shines on his gentle soul and he finds the peace and happiness he searched in vain for in this world. Rock on Marty!
So sad to here about the
So sad to here about the death of, Martin Mager, my heart goes out
to his family and friends. From, Bubbajoe,track crew Mohawk...
Marty you will be sadly
Marty you will be sadly missed by so when people. I hope that you can find the happiness that you have been searching for, for so long. My god show you the otherside that can bring you peace in heaven.
Jamie and I send our sincere prayers and thoughts with Marty's sister and friends near and far
Sincerely
Jody and Jamie
We knew Martin for about
We knew Martin for about 20years and he was always friendly and kind. We had not seen him in many years but last week while watchimg the races Martin was in the winners circle and they did a close up of him. We were reminded of the time he lived with us for awhile and how he had a few good friends he always talked to us about that being Britt Mcmanus and Dan Blanchard. He will be sadly missed and wished we could have seen him recently ..RIP ...sorry we wont be there for your service..
Pat & Brian Green
I talked to Scot in the
I talked to Scot in the race office this morning about people without a O,R,C getting into the back stretch for the memorial on tuesday. He said he would make sure that security would let people in for it. If people can be judged on how many friends they have Marty would be at the top of the line. I talked to a fella that worked with Marty over 30 years ago when i told him what happened the line went quiet that was the impression Marty left on people.
He will be missed but not forgotten
Steve Jewitt
Marty was a longtime friend
Marty was a longtime friend and also helped us out at the barn on more than one occasion. I think the people that never really knew him misunderstood his character.
Marty deeply cared for horses and became upset when he witnessed poor horsemanship
and cruelty toward his beloved friends.
Marty did however admire good horsemen (he often talked about the ledgendary Walker family), and he said there was nothing nicer than a good trotter. A few years ago we had a nice old trotter (TGTIF) and Marty rubbed him like he was a champ,the horse responded to the attention and broke the track record at Kawartha. You'd have thought he won the Hambo!
Maybe the horses understood him better than his human counterparts.
Ken and I hope he has found peace and now he can watch over us
miss you buddy
heather
Martin was a friend of my
Martin was a friend of my family for as long as I can remember. He used to come to my folks' house and hang out in the basement watching football and car racing with my brother and his track buddies. I liked Martin and his child- like way about him - I was a kid and, in a way, so was he. We even went on a date to see "Creepshow" at the Fox theater. He was a gentleman the whole time. I'll remember him in his happy times - the way he gave me a big hug whenever I saw him at my sister's house, the way he always asked about my niece and my parents. I'm gonna miss him.
Although extremely
Although extremely heartbreaking, it is a relief to know Martin is FINALLY at peace. A close friend for over 15 years, he will be missed. It is uplifting to read the kind words folks have posted. Even though he often struggled silently, his sense of humor and beautiful heart made him a very special person.
On the last day I spoke with Martin, we were both cheering for Mark Martin to win the race at Michigan Speedway. Lo and behold.....Mark Martin won!!! A happy memory amidst a tremendous loss.
Thank you Chaplin Ken for the work you do. You are a true blessing. Martin would write to me and say that you brought hope in some of his darkest days. Because we can never fully understand the challenges Martin faced and why things happen in life the way they do, I find comfort in scripture Proverbs 3:5, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding."
I knew Martin well for over
I knew Martin well for over 30 years, and as a close friend, and knew of some of his inner struggles. He was a loyal friend and tireless worker. His first Jockey Club win, was with Happy Tri,(driving for me),and later with Mark of Smog and Armbro Bruce.
He had talent but always had self-doubts. His favourite saying was "It's All Over". He may be gone, but memories last a lifetime.
Martin was a good 'buddy'! I
Martin was a good 'buddy'! I remember a cold evening on Dec 10, 1983 at Flamboro Downs where Martin drove Eric Sherban's horse 'Mark of Smog' to victory (2:05 1/5). Martin was having a good night! Aside from his skills in the horse arena, Martin was a great guy and a good friend. You will always be remembered. Take care buddy and rest in peace.
I would like to convey my
I would like to convey my sadness at the passing of Martin. As so many people have made note of his kind hearted manner and genuine devotion to the horses in his care. I had known Martin for over 20 years, and often had conversations about the significant trials and tribulations that training horses presents. I would like to extend my condolences to his family and many friends at this time, sincerely Brad
Barbara Wilson I last spoke
Barbara Wilson
I last spoke with Marty just over 6 months ago. I was taking
my dog for a walk in a conservation area by Mohawk and I ran
into him there. He seemed despondent and sad. I asked him if
he wanted to walk with us and he did, he loved dogs. We talked for an hour about our families and life with the horses over the last 25 years. He spoke about the depression he has battled with for years and about not wanting to go on. I urged him to get professional help. I told him that I thought life was worth living. He was under the care of a Doctor at the time and he did get to a hospital for more treatment. Even with everyone doing what they could, including Marty, depression won and Marty is gone. I hope his soul has found peace and that everyone who tried to help him knows they did what they could.
Double M , Mejay , Scorch ,
Double M , Mejay , Scorch , were nicknames we gave our good friend and roommate Martin Mager . I spent alot of goodtimes with Martin golfing,going to football games , going to the cottage and go karting . Martin was a very dedicated horseman and treated his horses like they were his children .I will always remember driver Martin Mager winning at Flamboro with Armbro Bruce . My condolences to all family and friends affected by his passing .
You will be missed
You will be missed Marty.
Mike and I have been really worried about Marty for the past few weeks. He was working in our barn for the past few weeks with Al. Tuesday morning when we arrived at the barn at 6h, and Marty wasn't there, we, Mike, Al and I were very worried. When I left the barn and arrived at the office that morning, two of the girls were talking about a pedestrian had got killed on Hwy 6 early that morning, at that point my heart was broken, the demons took over our friend Marty.
I hope that Marty has now found peace that he was looking for for many years. R.I.P Marty and I will keep praying for you.
Linda
Marty was a dear friend of
Marty was a dear friend of mine and my wife Paula. Marty spend a many a christmas with me and my family exchanging gifts having a great meal a few drinks and a laff .Marty was a fan of Nascar, golf and most of all standard bred racing. Martin was not only a great groom but a damn good trainer and driver...although I have not spent much time with him over the past year we will miss him very much. Marty would stay at my place when I was gone away .......he would take care of my dog Hoss .....Hoss loved Marty giving him big face licks and hugs every time he saw him. Marty had a heart of gold was a dear friend and part of my family...... RIP buddy friend and pal Dan, Paula and the rest of the Blanchard and Sherban family.
Martin was a family friend
Martin was a family friend and will be remembered for of the good times we spend together.Our trips to Florida for March spring break, a couple of Nascar races in Michigan and our Harrisburg adventure only bring back good memories.Gone but not forgotten.
Martin was a good friend of
Martin was a good friend of mine since i came to the track 34 tears ago.He worked for Kent Baker i worked for Dave Wall he rubbed a pretty good horse that year for Kent i can not remember his name but it had 2 words that both started with a P . As Brendas has said i hope he finds peace. My condolences to his sister .
Rose,Steve Jewitt
I just wanted to say a few
I just wanted to say a few words about my friend Martin Mager. For those of u who knew Marty and havent heard yet Marty tragically got to the breaking point yesterday morning,,,,a point that he has been very close to many times in the last few yrs, and took his own life at 5 in the morning on monday on highway 6.Marty and i had been friends for about 20 yrs and i hadnt seen him alot in the last few yrs and recently he came to work right beside me in my barn and i got a first hand view of just how badly the deppression anxiety complete lack of self confidence and overall unhappiness in his life was consuming him. he spoke openly about it to me and im sure other people as well.marty was taking many medications recieveing regular counseling had let god into his life and nothing gave him any relief he told me this himself just last week. Over the last few weeks because i could see the severity of his illness i was very worried about him and spent many hours during and after work trying to talk to him...comfort him in some way somehow trying to get him thinking positively.i thought i was geting through a little but apparently i wasnt. Marty was a great guy hard worker and a kind soul..I know right now Marty u are in gods loving arms and i pray for u my friend...I pray that u have finally found the peace u have searched for for so long...............your friend mike pennington
martin worked for me for a
martin worked for me for a short week and a half. Despite what people may think about the guy, he was a great worker and a great guy around the barn. Some people just have an illness that overcomes them and unfortunately he was one of them. Hopefully he's in a better place
martin,may you rest in
martin,may you rest in peace.you will be sadly missed but not forgotten.
Martin was a long time
Martin was a long time friend and had worked for us over the years. It was sad to here of his tragic death. Our thoughts go with him and and hope he finds peace. Our condolences are extended to his sister April and her family.
R.I.P. Marty. A lot of good
R.I.P. Marty. A lot of good memories old buddy.