by Matthew Lomon

Although it was four years ago, trainer Courtney Robson remembers her first win like it was four hours ago.

On a rather mild night in mid-February of 2020, Robson and trusted trotter Slip Into Glide took to Rideau Carleton Raceway for what would be their fourth start as a tandem.

Robson, whose hometown of Aylmer, QC sits about 45 minutes north of the five-eighths-mile oval, had come close with the bay gelding before, but was still in search of that elusive breakthrough moment.

On Feb. 23, the fourth time was the charm for the then-rookie conditioner.

“That race was pretty unbelievable,” Robson said. “He won a lot of races for me, so it was kind of fitting to get my first win with him.

“He was a very special horse for me.”

Robson’s deep connection with Slip Into Glide extends beyond the training side of the trade. Before earning her trainer’s license in 2020, Robson owned the horse, who was trained by none other than her father Dave.

A life-long horseperson himself, the elder Robson won over 450 races before stepping back after the 2019 campaign.

Dave was in attendance that night at Rideau to witness the first of his daughter’s now 74 wins.

“My dad was there, and he trained him before I got my license,” Courtney said. “As an owner, we won the 2019 preferred trot at Rideau with Slip Into Glide, and he was with me for most of his wins, too. He was my dad’s favorite horse for a long time, so that was a nice moment to share with him.”

Courtney’s phone worked overtime soon after, as she recalled receiving “quite a few messages” following the milestone achievement.  

Slip Into Glide delivered 13 of his 56 career wins under Courtney’s tutelage, including her first score after moving to the Guelph area from Quebec in the fall of 2020.

Even though the 16-year-old’s racing days are now well behind him, Courtney still keeps in touch with the son of Yankee Glide—Balanced Breeze.

“He raced until his 14th year [2022],” she said. “When he retired, we gave him away with the help of New Start Standardbreds, who helped place him. He’s got a nice little riding horse home in Hanover.

“I get pictures of him every couple of months. It’s been really nice for him. He’s giving little kids pony rides at day camp and enjoying retired life.”

Courtney, however, is just getting started.

She hasn’t missed a beat since making 11 trips to the winner’s circle in her rookie campaign.

In 2021, she recorded 14 triumphs, followed by seasons of 22, 19, and now 8 through 75 starts on the young 2024 calendar.

While the current standardbred season may not have gotten off to the flying start Courtney envisioned, the Fergus, ON-based conditioner has maintained faith in the mindset that’s helped drive strong results in years’ past.

“I always try to get more wins than I did the year before,” she said. “I’ve managed to do that almost every year, so the goal is to try and do more of that. I was off to a bit of a rough start [in 2024], but the last couple of weeks have been good. Hopefully, I can keep that rolling.

“Trying to be better than the year before has always been my ‘compete with yourself’ mentality.”

The junior Robson was rewarded for her unwavering belief with a pair of winners on May 26 at Clinton Raceway.

With veteran driver Dan Clements at the helm, Courtney’s protégés ABC and Lisas All In captured race’s 3 and 4, respectively, on Clinton’s Sunday afternoon (May 26) card.

Both horses have greatly benefitted from Courtney’s tutelage.

The former, whom she purchased in Dec. 2022, has collected six of his seven career wins under Courtney’s leadership.

“ABC is a nice horse. He was strong this weekend, and the week before that, as well,” she said. “The last two starts he’s raced really well. It’s nice to have some of the smaller tracks opening up for horses like him. We’re hoping he’ll have a good summer.”

The latter, a 5-year-old mare, saw her win total rocket from two to 11 after joining the Courtney Robson School of Racing in March of last year.

“‘Lisa’ raced really well last year during the summer at Kawartha and then she kind of tailed off in the winter,” Courtney said. “It’s nice to see she’s hopefully coming back around again.”

One of Courtney’s first students, Dance Machine, raced under her purview from June 2020 until Sept. 2022.

“We went to Harrisburg to look at a mixed sale and there were about 10 yearlings left on the day,” she said. “My mom hadn’t owned a racehorse in a lot of years, so we decided to take a look at the babies just for the fun of it. He [Dance Machine] was out of a really good dam [Daylon Tempo] that raced at Rideau and that’s where we’re from.

“He came up in the ring, and nobody was bidding on him, so my mom threw her hand up at $3,000 and we got the horse.”

This time, however, it was the pacer who taught Courtney several valuable lessons in their brief time together.

“We brought him home, and we trained him at 2 and he was fine, but he was just so lazy,” she said with a laugh. “He wouldn’t go.

“So, we turned him out, we brought him back, and everybody told us for the longest time ‘What are you doing with that horse? You’re wasting your time, he’ll never race.’”

Dance Machine ended up making 72 starts for Courtney, crossing the finish line first seven times.

The 7-year-old pacer has since competed 84 times for seven different trainers. He notched his fifth victory post-Courtney last time out on May 24 at Kawartha Downs.

While her priorities lie elsewhere these days, Courtney still keeps tabs on the horse some said would never race.

“I saw he recently took a mark of :50 and a piece, which is pretty incredible,” Courtney said in reference to a strong win in 1:50.4 at Mohawk on July 10, 2024.

“He’s still racing well.”

Now in her fifth full season calling the shots, Courtney is responsible for eight horses, seven of which she owns.

The only non-Robson-owned trainee in her octet is an exciting 2-year-old by the name of Dancin Idole. Although the Dancin Lou colt has yet to race, Courtney said she is very encouraged by what she’s seen in his training.

The determined Courtney spends just about every waking moment working on her craft, so when a rare break in the action does come about, she’s prepared to take advantage like a true horseperson.

“Everybody likes to tease me because I like to take naps. If I’m not racing, I’m usually taking a nap,” she said. “That’s just what us horsepeople do.”