Horses are an escape from Corey Pickrem’s regimented full-time job
by Chris Lomon
Corey Pickrem had already amassed a treasure trove of fond racing memories. But something in him wanted to add more.
As a kid growing up in Lower Sackville, a suburban community of the Halifax Regional Municipality, NS, the racetrack became a familiar place for Pickrem at a young age.
“I was born into racing,” he said. “My grandfather, Ron Pickrem, who goes by Butch, has been involved in harness racing for 70 years, and raced horses at the old tracks in Halifax. He had a stable at Sackville Downs and drove, owned, and trained standardbreds.
“One of the earliest memories I have is being at the racetrack and watching his horses race at Truro. The best part of the day was always going over to the ship-in barn to see the horses. I was too young at that time to work with them, but when I was around 15, my grandfather started training on a regular basis. He was retired from his full-time job, but he had a couple of horses who would compete at Truro.”
That was when the younger Pickrem finally had the chance to see the sport from a completely different perspective.
“I started jumping right in as a groom and later on, I jumped in the jog cart and started jogging horses,” Corey said. “It kind of went from there.”
Where it went, with the odd detour taken, was to a place and position he had never once envisioned.
The idea of getting back to racing — he had left the sport for somewhere around 10 years — came during the spring of 2021.
“When I got back into horses, it was around the COVID-19 lockdown, so there wasn’t a whole lot to do,” Corey said. “I was working from home and life for a lot of people was boring. I really started following racing again. Truro was one of the first ones to come back after lockdown.”
Scrolling through Facebook one evening, a particular post piqued Corey’s interest.
“[Longtime horseman] George Rennison and his wife Andrea were selling fractional ownerships,” he said. “So, I jumped right in and gave it a whirl. It was time. I bought five per cent of a 2-year-old who was in training.
“The first day I went to the barn to see the colt, George asked if I wanted to jog one. It had been 10 years, but I thought, ‘Why not?’ It was at that moment I knew I was ready to do this again.”
Corey and Rennison would have another discussion in that very setting a few years later.
“I owned some with George and Andrea for a few years and had some good luck,” he said. “There were no hard feelings when I told George I was going for my trainer’s license and own a couple of my own. All he wanted was to help me become a trainer. That is what is special about our industry, especially, the East Coast, it is one big family.”
Starting with a one-horse stable, Corey launched his training career in 2025.
His first win came on July 6 of that same year at Truro Raceway.
Top Of Her Trade, a daughter of Bolt The Duer (NY), paced the mile in 1:57.4, coming home in :29.2 for the half-length score.
“She started the year off slowly, but by July, she was starting to come around,” Corey said. “To be honest, I didn’t expect her to win on that day. She was down in class, but I didn’t know how it was going to pan out.
“She can leave pretty well. She drew the rail that day and I figured we could get a check. We were lucky enough to get the win. It was her fastest time in two years. It was humbling in itself, but it was also a memorial race for a gentleman who used to work at Sackville, where it all started for my family. It was kind of a full-circle moment in a way.”
The bay mare, owned by Corey and his wife Eve, went 2-3-5 from 27 starts, along with just north of $4,700 in purse earnings, last year.
Modest numbers, certainly but for the modest man who guided her to a pair of winner’s circle trips, Top Of Her Trade, a $6,000 Harrisburg purchase in 2018, is far more than just 10 in-the-money finishes.
For Corey, the 9-year-old bay represents everything good about the sport he has a deep appreciation for.
“For that first win, my wife and kids were there, my grandfather and father – lots of support from friends and family,” Corey said. “It was quite the feeling. People say that you don’t forget the first win and I definitely won’t.
“I don’t know exactly what the feeling was. I was more in shock by seeing it happen, knowing she was on top and she was going to cross the wire first. It was an incredible feeling.”
Simply being in the position of training horses is perhaps Corey’s biggest joy.
“It was 15 years between being a kid in the barn and coming back to it in this position,” he said. “It made me think, ‘Maybe I can do this.’”
Corey’s return to the racing life has not been a solo flight.
It has been the epitome of a family affair.
“My two boys were born into racing because of me, but my wife had no exposure to it until I started bringing her to the racetrack,” he said. “I like to think that my wife Eve and our sons Benjamin and Jackson — I have watched them develop a passion for the sport — are now a huge part of this world.
“I grew up in racing, but they have chosen it and adopted the lifestyle – all for the love of the horses and the sport.”
Once reluctant to be near horses, Eve is very much hands-on now.
“Three years ago, my wife wouldn’t go near a horse and now, she will get to the paddock, grab a horse and bring it to the barn and give them all the care in the world.
“I don’t know if they knew what they were getting into when I jumped back into this world, but they have embraced it and I can’t thank them enough for their support.”
Or for what their view of racing and horses does for him.
“It brings a different perspective for me,” Corey said. “For someone who has been involved in the sport, you see it one way and now to have someone from outside racing come into it and see it in a different way – that is a wonderful thing to have.”
As is the prospect of saddling up for another season of racing on Canada’s East Coast.
“We’ll try for round 2,” he said. “I have four horses in the stable right now, three aged horses and a 2-year-old colt, who I purchased last fall. I take it day by day. I will just keep chugging along and hopefully the work that was put in this winter will show some results this summer. I’m not one to set goals. I just try my best and hope for the same from our horses.
“I am very excited to have a stakes horse this year, Woodmere Lebron, for the 3-year-old Atlantic Sires Stakes season. But again, I try not to get too caught up in things. We know anything can happen in horse racing. What I enjoy is being in the moment, looking after our horses and that they are cared for every day.”
Corey will also have to navigate a full-time career in the Canadian Armed Forces while running a stable.
“Coming to the barn is my hobby,” he said. “It feels like a full-time job at times, but I truly enjoy it.”
Despite being decidedly different, the roles do share some similarities, significant ones, according to Corey, who holds the role of Human Resources Officer for those who administer the Canadian Armed Forces youth program.
Diligence, dedication, and perseverance are common threads.
“What’s similar is the work ethic you need,” he said. “I have been [working for the Armed Forces] going on for 17 years now. I know what structure and rules and regulations look like.
“It doesn’t take you long to realize there are similarities to harness racing – the early mornings, late nights, and the rules and regulations we all adhere to.”
As for the most rewarding aspect of harness racing, Corey, who has four horses training and two who are being turned out at home, points to the pacers and trotters under his watchful eye.
“The best part is being around the horses every day,” he said. “We all see their beauty and the magic in the sport. Being around the horses is a bit of an escape from my full-time job. When I’m at the barn, it’s either me and the horses or whoever is there helping out. It’s really a great way to decompress.”
It’s also a way to enjoy something deeply meaningful with his family and fellow horsepeople.
“The level of support you get from horsepeople in the Maritimes – they embrace you and want you to be part of their community,” he said. “It’s all for the love of the sport.”
A sport that keeps giving Corey new memories to chase.
And he’s far from done making them.
