There is an ongoing push in today’s racing environment to tap into the younger demographic and attract new owners and customers to the game. A mainstream Toronto publication has run a profile piece on a new racehorse owner, and she’s just five years of age.
“I like feeding him carrots,” Sarah Ladouceur, the five-year-old in question, recently said about her horse. “I own him with my grandma.”
The horse in question is a two-year-old gelded Thoroughbred named Jurojin. He took part in the $143,000 Victoria Stakes at Woodbine Racetrack yesterday (Sunday, July 17). Although he finished off the board, Sarah thinks that owning a piece of a racehorse is pretty exciting.
The piece on Ladouceur’s introduction to racehorse ownership was penned by longtime racing writer Jennifer Morrison and was featured in the Toronto Star. The profile explains that Ladouceur’s parents – Jessie Ladouceur and Harold Ladouceur – have operated a successful racing operation out of Woodbine for a decade now.
Sarah Ladouceur owns Jurojin along with her grandmother, Sandra Bird.
“We gave Sarah part of Jurojin because her brother had a share in a horse already,” said Ladouceur. “She understands that she owns part of him and she thinks it’s neat.”
Morrison’s piece explains that there are roughly 10 ‘minors’ – owners that are under the age of 16 – that have been licenced to own racehorses in Ontario.
(With files from the Toronto Star)