After a brief time away, Jason Sherman got back on stride

by Matthew Lomon

At an age when most kids are still figuring out what interests them, Jason Sherman was already turning his passion into a hands-on pursuit.

“I started working with horses when I was 12,” said Sherman. “My dad [Bert Sherman] and I used to go to the races all the time. We’d go to the Hong Kong nights and watch Fraser Downs and everything like that and stay up till God knows when in the morning.”

The Shermans’ regular visits to the track were often accompanied by Bert’s good friend Mike Bannon. It wasn’t long, as Jason recalled, before the trio graduated from watching the action to becoming part of it.

“One day they decided, ‘This would be even more fun if we owned one of these things instead of just watching them.’” Jason said. “In no time, they ended up buying a horse together and we had it with the late Daryl Roberts.”

Claiming their first horse involved not one but two trips south to Windsor, ON.

“We went to Windsor to claim the first one, but we didn’t get it, so we went back the next week and got a different one, Norwell Cowboy,” Jason said. “Then it just all started from there.”

Roberts, the longtime Ontario horseman who passed away in July, was training 2003 and 2004 Gold Cup & Saucer champion Sand Olls Dexter at the time of Norwell Cowboy’s arrival.

A green Jason never missed an opportunity to learn from the respected conditioner and his star-studded stable.

“I would come out every weekend, and they taught me on all the horses,” he said. “We had three or four different ones with Daryl. I got to work with the whole stable and learn how it was done.”

After about a year of sharpening his skills under Roberts, Jason ventured out on his own.

During the transition, he relied heavily on another industry veteran, Roberts’ business partner, Fred Logan.

“Fred taught me a lot; he would come over and help me out and tell me what things to do and what not to do,” Jason said, adding with a laugh, “At that age, I thought I knew how to do everything, but I quickly learned that’s not the right mentality.”

It was only fitting that Jason, who obtained his trainer’s license in 2001 at the age of 16, picked up his first (unofficial) training win on a horse with Logan’s name in the program the year prior.

“I had a horse named G E Cams Freedom,” said Sherman of the narrow victory on Oct. 21, 2000, at The Raceway at Western Fair. “That’s the first one I went on my own with. Fred Logan was down as trainer on that horse, but that was my first win.”

As for Jason’s first win on record, that came on Feb. 18, 2002, also at Western Fair, courtesy of the hard-nosed Camluck pacer, Rickards Ed.

“Donnie McElroy was driving for us and at the top of the lane we’re sitting dead last, and he just came out of nowhere and won by a whisker,” Jason said. “We had to stand in that old three-race paddock in London and wait, and wait, and wait, and wait, because back then they did actual film for the win photos.”

He added with a chuckle, “It was cold, and Donnie was like, ‘Just call me the winner. Let’s get this over with.”

Jasonn remained active in the sport through the early 2000s, but his involvement gradually tapered off before he stepped away entirely after 2010.

While not an easy decision, it was one that circumstances ultimately called for.

“I had a job opportunity to work for a company in St. Marys called Norampac and that’s where Mike worked,” Jason said. “He got me the job – I was down to two horses, and financially, I just had to go get a job.

“I was there for about three years, and then the other seven years my sister bought a print company, and I went to work for her.”

Jason spent 10 years away from the game, but he never let it get too far out of reach.

His connection held firm through his family, particularly his sister Michelle and retired pacer Evil Bear.

“He was a pet that we’ve had since he was 4, and we ended up bringing him out to Cerro, where I’m currently stabled at,” Jason said.

“I was looking after him here, and then you get talking to everybody, and then I’m like, ‘Ah, I have to get a horse. I have to get back in this.’ So, I bought one out of PEI [Rollwithitannie] – it was supposed to be a hobby, and next thing I was up to 17 and full-time… Once it’s in your blood, it’s in your blood.”

Jason officially returned to racing in 2020, getting his stride back with just two starts.

The Dorchester, ON-based conditioner took his most substantial step forward in 2021, sending out a career-best 99 starters and achieving personal bests across the board.

The night of April 1, and the performance by Rollwithitannie, whom he still shares ownership with his father and mother Betty, remains etched in Jason’s memory.

“Since I had been out of the business for so long, I had a big learning curve when I got back in because things had changed so much,” he said. “Rules had changed, equipment had changed, and I’m relearning, trying to teach myself all over again.

“Getting our first win with Rollwithitannie, the one that got me back in, really sticks out to me.”

Jason’s watermarks didn’t last for long, however, as he enjoyed his most successful season to date in 2022, compiling a 24-24-32 line, to go with $180,540 in purse earnings, from 211 starts.

“It was an absolute blast,” he said of the landmark campaign. “I was putting up numbers that I didn’t think I would ever put up, because, well, you can see from my past it wasn’t glorious when we were just racing $3,000 claimers. But I had a great year, and I’m really proud of what we accomplished.”

In a year filled with standout moments, perhaps the most impactful was when Whitney Klotz started working in his stable.

The pair formed an instant bond.

“Her support has been tremendous,” Jason said. “She started out as my employee, and then the way things worked out, we ended up together. She supports me day in, day out. When times are rough, she always says, ‘Oh, it’ll get better,’ or, ‘Maybe we should focus on this more than that.’

“She’s definitely the rock who makes sure that I keep focused on what needs to be done. She’s got an incredible work ethic. She should be down as trainer, not me.”

With Klotz by his side, Jason is still going strong today. Together, the pair have four horses currently racing and three on the verge.

The group features a little bit of everything.

“I don’t like to specialize just in $8,000 claimers or young horses,” Jason said. “We’ve got some that are high maintenance and need everything done the way they want it. And then I’ve got others like Lucky Dancer who’s an easy keeper and basically looks after himself.

“I’ve also gotten back into having mares. I used to focus just on geldings, but the mares are a little different to deal with, they challenge you. It keeps things interesting, that’s for sure.”

Jason and Klotz have also expanded the scope of their operation, introducing breeding to the mix.

“We started foaling out our own foals,” Jason said, adding with a laugh, “There was a bit of a learning curve at the beginning because we had no clue what we were doing. Hopefully, it all went natural, and we were lucky that it did.”

Hovering inside that six to eight range is the “sweet spot” for Jason, whose family owns all but two in his barn.

Honoring those around him and those before him is how he got started in this business, and that same appreciation has sustained him throughout his career, some 25-plus years later.

“When I was younger, I was always taught to listen to the older guys and take in all the information that I can and then decide what to use,” Jason said. “That’s something I still do to this day.”