Whether on the rink or the racetrack, Jérémy Marcotte’s goal is to continue to score

by Chris Lomon

What do hockey and horse racing have in common? For Jérémy Marcotte, the answer goes far beyond net gains.

Growing up in Montebello, QC, between Montreal and Ottawa, Marcotte spent countless winter hours skating and shooting pucks with friends.

Although he didn’t know it at the time, the lessons he learned on the outdoor rinks and local arenas would help shape his approach as a standardbred trainer.

“Being in racing is like being a hockey player,” Marcotte said. “Sometimes, you have a good game, other times you have a bad game. You have to keep your head up if you have a bad day and you have to give even more if you have a good day.”

Marcotte wasted no time achieving his initial horse racing goal.

On April 26, 2023, at Rideau Carleton, he sent out his first starter, Honey Bee First, a trotting daughter of Encore Encore.

Like any rookie making a debut, Marcotte was equal parts nervous and excited.

He was certainly not expecting to take a walk to the winner’s circle.

Leaving from post 6 in the nine-horse field in race 1, Honey Bee First, with Stephane Pouliot in the race bike, settled into second behind the 3-5 choice through early fractions of :29 and 1:00.2.

As the field turned for home, Marcotte had but one hope, a modest expectation of his bay mare who had not raced in six months.

“It’s tough to stay on the trot when they are 3 – it was the first race of the year for her, so I didn’t know what would happen,” he said. “I was hoping she would stay flat, have a good mile and maybe hit the board.”

Instead, Honey Bee First lived up to her name, coming home in :29.3 to outduel the betting public’s choice by a hard-earned neck in 1:59.4.

“I was surprised,” Marcotte said. “When I saw her sitting in the second hole, I thought, ‘We are at least going to get a good check.’ But in the stretch, she just kept on coming and got to the finish line first. At one point, I was hoping she wouldn’t break stride and then I thought she would have a good result, but it was amazing. It was my first lifetime start, and maybe I got lucky, but it was a very good feeling. I remember how exciting it was when they put her number up.

“I learned a lot that first year. I learned that when something good happens, you have to enjoy it because there will be tough days, too. If your mental game isn’t strong, you won’t get the results you’re looking for.”

Since that victory and a seven-win campaign, Marcotte has recorded 30-plus victories, including a career-best 17-win season in 2025.

Now overseeing an 11-horse stable owned by himself and his father, Denis, Jérémy continues to build momentum.

“When my father and I bought our first yearling at Harrisburg, I think that’s when I knew this industry was for me,” Jérémy said. “I broke the horse, trained it down, and got the horse to the races. We only have 2-year-olds and 3-year-olds. Sometimes, we will keep older horses, and we have a couple of them racing at Mohawk, but we really enjoy racing them at 2 and 3. We keep some, sell some, and buy some at the sales.”

He also recently made what he hopes is a winning move.

“I just moved to Ontario,” Jérémy said. “I was doing a lot of traveling, but I would really like to make it here, to stay here full-time and have a big barn.”

One of his short-term objectives is to earn his first stakes win at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

“That is definitely on my list,” he said. “There are so many great horsepeople here and it is the top track in Canada, so to win a stakes race there and have other chances to win at Mohawk is something I want to achieve.”

Beyond that, Jérémy is looking to earn his driving license with hopes of lining up behind the starting gate one day. He’s also hoping to breed a horse who can win one of the marquee races on the Quebec standardbred circuit.

For now, though, his focus is on bringing out the best in the starting lineup of pacers and trotters under his tutelage.

“The best part is working with horses every day and helping them reach their potential,” he said. “It never feels like work because it’s something I truly love. What can be better than that? You wake up in the morning, and you get to do something you love.”

That passion is unwavering.

“You have to be like a pro athlete,” he said. “You have to take care of yourself and the others you are connected to. Everything you do has to be 100 per cent, every day. Others are counting on you, and you never want to let them down.”

An approach that Jérémy hopes will continue to serve him well in the present and future.

“Right now, I have 11 horses racing,” he said. “I don’t train for anyone else right now. At the farm, with the babies and mares, we have about 22 horses. I would like to add some horses and continue to work with young horses.”

And when time permits, Jérémy can be found on the fairways and another familiar setting.

“My dad owns a golf course, so I play with my buddies,” Jérémy said. “I play hockey with my friends, too. I used to play hockey every day — that was my whole life it seemed — but now I am a lot busier than ever before. Sometimes, golf and hockey are good ways to take your mind off horse racing for a little while. And that’s okay with me.”

Hockey may no longer dominate Jérémy’s days, but the lessons it taught him continue to pay dividends each time his horses step onto the track.