Megan Walker, daughter of successful horseman Larry Walker, is bringing her connections and passion to the Woodbine Entertainment Group’s new position as owner concierge.

by Chris Lomon

Woodbine Entertainment Group’s Standardbred Concierge and Owner Development associate role appears to be tailor-made for Megan Walker, who certainly knows a thing or two about the horse racing.

Whenever there’s a live harness racing card on the WEG circuit, you’ll find Walker busy at work, interacting with owners, fielding any questions and requests, while ensuring their overall experience is a positive one.

It all comes naturally for someone whose family name is synonymous with the sport in Ontario and beyond.

Her father, Larry, has recorded nearly 900 wins and nearly $10 million in purse earnings as a trainer. As a driver, he’s just six wins shy of the 2,400-mark, accompanied by $21.1 million in lifetime earnings.

“I grew up around harness racing,” said Walker, who used to ride and show on the ‘A’ circuit for many years. “My dad trains and used to drive a lot back in the day. The whole Walker side of my family has been involved with racing for decades. I have always owned a racehorse for as long as I can remember and would help out in the barn when I was young. Growing up around the business, and with my family involved, I already knew quite a few people which helped to make the transition easier.”

Just months into her job, Walker, who arrives at the racetrack around 3:30 p.m. each live racing day, acknowledged it’s far from mundane.

“There’s no typical night and every night is different,” said the Puslinch, ON resident. “I like to check over the reservations for the night when I first get in. From there, I’m usually helping owners with their requests, working on different events, and other office duties.”

Two main objectives for Walker are linking with various groups within the horse racing fraternity and also introducing prospective owners to horsepeople.

“I’ve also been working with a few of the fractional owner groups like the SBOA, LandMark Racing and The Stable, to see what we can do to help them,” she said. “We’ve had some event nights for a couple of the groups to invite all their owners to get together and enjoy a night of racing at Mohawk with behind-the-scenes tours and starting gate rides. There have been people who show up at the track wanting to know how they can get into ownership or wanting to being introduced to different trainers. We can help them make those connections.”

It’s those connections that resonate with Walker, who co-owns a trotter with her father and one of his longtime owners.

“Owners invest a lot of money into racing and we wouldn’t be able to put on great racing if it wasn’t for them. They deserve more attention and credit than they have been getting. I want owners to know, whether they own a Grand Circuit horse or a low-level claimer, they can come to me with any special requests they may have or even just stop by and grab a free program from me on race nights. Hopefully soon, we will have some promotions running that will be exclusively for owners that visit the track.”

So far, the response to Walker’s role has been overwhelmingly supportive.

“Everything I’ve heard so far from owners has been very positive,” she noted. “I’ve received a few thank you cards and emails from events as well as even helping and showing people around. It gives them a more personal experience knowing they will be dealing with the same person every time.”