by Matthew Lomon

They may be polar opposites in personality, but the late Brian Paquet and the tenacious trotter named in his honor share a penchant for leaving a lasting impression.

Jody Jamieson, one of standardbred racing’s most successful stars in the sulky, laughs when asked about the rookie colt’s spirited, somewhat untamed disposition.

“I’ll tell you what, I liked him better in his first couple starts as a pro,” said the veteran reinsman, who has been in the race bike for each of Paquet’s seven lifetime starts.

“He’s getting a little racy. We’ve been trying to temper that, at least earlier in the race anyway. That’s been a big part of his development.”

Paquet, the horseman, a highly-respected and admired figure in horse racing circles, never got the chance to see his equine namesake compete.

But he’d no doubt be thrilled with the rambunctious 3-year-old’s top-shelf talents.

“He is just so effortless in his gait,” said Jamieson.  

“That goes a long way in making him as good as he is. And being a Muscle Mass, he has the pedigree to go along with it.”

Brian Paquet, who died in August 2023, saw something special in the bay who was purchased for $70,000 at the 2022 London Classic Yearling Sale.

“We got a truck to go to the sale a couple years ago — myself, my buddy [trainer] Paul Cameron, my dad [trainer, Carl Jamieson], and Brian Paquet,” Jody said. “We met Brian at the carpool in Guelph and headed up there, and they bought that horse. On the way back, we stopped for something to eat, and Brian said, ‘I want a piece of that horse. I really like him.’”

At that time, the son of Muscle Mass—Darjeeling entered the sales ring as Hip #60, Dion Seelster.

However, in the wake of Brian’s death, it was evident that a name change was in order.

“Brian was just such a great guy,” Jody said. “He’s had a horse or at least a piece of a horse with my dad for about 20 years. He was such a gentleman. Anybody that you talked to from Quebec, it always seemed like Brian Paquet had a hand in their career.”

Although their time together was short, the Quebec-born horseman knew that his team had something special with the spirited Paquet.

Prior to suffering a tendon injury in February of his 2-year-old year, the young Paquet had shown significant promise across his several workouts.

That was not lost on Brian, who according to Jody, preached patience during trying times.

When Paquet finally made his professional debut this past March as a 3-year-old, the long-time owner and breeder’s prudent perspective proved invaluable for the Jamiesons and Co., who were saddled with another seemingly insurmountable obstacle when their neophyte racehorse endured another significant injury after his first ever start – a 10¼-length triumph on March 21 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

Fortunately, with the help of trainer Rod Hughes, the rehab process went off without a hitch and Paquet was ready to return to the oval.

“I think the rehab that we put him through was second to none,” Jody said. “We’re really happy with Rod Hughes and the work he did at R&R Farms. He was integral in bringing him back.”

“The process developed relatively quickly. We knew we had something special and wanted to give him a chance to race for some good money in big races.”

And the belief that Brian instilled within Paquet’s ownership group was rewarded in grand fashion on a historic Ontario Sires Stakes Super Finals night at Mohawk on Saturday (Oct. 12).

Under the steady hand of Jody, an especially rowdy Paquet put an exclamation point on a sensational maiden campaign with a hard-fought 4¼-length score in the $300,000 OSS Gold Super Final for 3-year-old trotting colts and geldings.

Despite being “as bad as he’s ever been” that night, Jody was effusive in his praise for Paquet, the horse, and the person who foresaw this day before anyone else.

“Brian was willing to wait with the rest of the partners and now the rest is history,” Jody said. “It does mean a lot to me, and a lot to everybody that knew Brian, that this horse is having success carrying the Paquet name around.

“I don’t know if Brian’s ever won a Super Final — I think he must have years ago — but I know how much he would have loved being there because that was the only reason he bought Ontario-breds, to win Super Finals.

“We love the horse, don’t get me wrong. But Brian himself, he was a true gentleman, class act all the way through, and now his daughters, Jennifer and Jessica, and his wife, France, are still in on this horse and they’re enjoying the success as we go.”

Across seven starts this season, Paquet owns an impressive 4-1-1 line and has banked $315,265 (as of Oct. 25).

As for what lies ahead in the short-term, Jody said the plan is to enter Paquet in next Friday’s Carl Erskine at Hoosier Park in Anderson, IN.

Until then, the Jamiesons remain intent on uncovering the source of Paquet’s angst, which they believe is rooted in his mouth and teeth.

“My dad’s been really working with his mouth and trying to figure out what’s going on there,” Jody said. “Every time he goes on the track, even jogging, he was starting to get that way, where he was acting up, rooting, and something in his mouth was bothering him.

“We’re going to school him. Hopefully, he’s going to be a little bit better and not as mad when you put the bit in his mouth.”

Clearly not lacking in ability, Paquet, like any young athlete recovering from a string of injuries, had to fast-track his learning curve to compete with more experienced contemporaries.

While that undoubtedly led to more bumps along the way, Jody, who’s won more than 8,700 races over his storied career, knows Paquet possesses the potential to accomplish extraordinary things – one of which happens to be a lifelong dream of Jody’s.

“I’d love to be able to take this horse to Europe,” he said of Paquet, who trotted 1:52.2 in his third career start.

“I’ve always dreamt of a European campaign with a top trotter. He still needs to learn a lot. He’s got a lot of experience that he needs to go through, maybe that’s a couple years away. But I think it’d be really cool. I think the ceiling would be some sort of European tour with him.”

Jody pointed to the example of Jess Tubbs and Greg Sugars, the Australian wife and husband, trainer/driver duo who found incredible success with Just Believe and earned their way to the Elitloppet in Sweden.

“I think it would be an amazing experience,” said Jody, who has raced in Europe a few times, including in an Elitloppet elimination event.

But not only for himself.

Jody would relish the chance to represent a horseman and friend he still holds in the highest esteem.

“If I’m talking about the European tour being the ceiling, that’s obviously a heck of a career because you have to get invited over there,” Jody said.

Should that become a reality, Jody will have plenty of stories to bring along, including those of the man who believed in his beloved trotter from day one.

“He’d be pretty well thought of if someone were to invite us there,” Jody said.

Whether he was speaking of the horse, horseman, or perhaps both, Jody could not have said it any better.