by Chris Lomon

Eddy Durbridge doesn’t require a passport for his horse racing career, but the caretaker has stamped himself as somewhat of a travel expert.

His home base for a majority of the standardbred season is The Raceway at Western Fair District, the half-mile oval in London, the Ontario city found 120 miles northeast of Detroit and 121 miles west of Toronto.

While he is a fixture at Western Fair throughout its racing season, Durbridge, son of longtime horse racing participants Norm and Tammy Durbridge, and grandson of driver/trainer William Durbridge, also makes his way to several other racetracks throughout the province each year, a list that includes Leamington, Clinton, Grand River, and Woodbine Mohawk Park.

The journeys can be challenging, the days long, and the work demanding, but none of that is enough to dampen Eddy’s fondness for the sport and the horses under his watchful eye.

“In winter, it’s not too bad because Western Fair is only about half an hour away from home,” said Eddy, who earned his Bachelor of Commerce degree in Digital Marketing at Fanshawe College in 2018. “When it comes to summer, it is a lot busier. Some of the tracks can be far away from where we are, so it is a bit of a trek. But at the end of the day, that’s okay – you are happy to be there and see your horses racing.

“I grew up at Western Fair. You get to know the people and the horses, and every race day is something you look forward to.”

Although the majority of his work is far removed from the spotlight, Eddy, who began working in the barn at 10, when he tended to his parents’ and grandfather’s horses, isn’t motivated by the adulation and adoration of others.

What does inspire him, however, is any opportunity to work in concert with the pacers and trotters he’s tasked with caring for, before and after they race.

Aside from working with his parents’ standardbreds, Eddy, who recorded his first win as a groom at Woodbine Mohawk Park with Hit And Giggle A, a son of Grinfromeartoear, also paddocks for leading Western Fair trainer Cassidy Schneider.

On occasion, he will also paddock for other conditioners.

“I fill in wherever and whenever I can,” said Eddy, who lives in Dutton, about a 40-minute drive southwest of London. “I like that. It can make for a busy time – it just depends on the evening. Obviously, if it’s one horse on a card, it’s an easy and smooth evening for the most part. When you have three or four, you just need to be on your toes and make sure each one gets the care that they need.”

He has a singular goal with his horses.

“Win or lose, you make sure they are taken care of the moment I see them and before they get on the trailer at the end of the night,” he said.

Having the chance to work with multiple horses in a racing week provides Eddy with a welcome opportunity to hone his caretaking craft.

While he might paddock a particular horse only once, he views it as an invaluable educational tool.

“I always like to learn more about the horses, and when I get a chance to work with a horse I haven’t before, you just learn something new automatically – it’s important to see new ways to do things,” Eddy said. “You also get to see ways that people prepare their horses, and you pick up little tips here and there.”

Tips that he takes with him on those travels across the Ontario racing scene.

“Each track has a different feel to it,” he said. “I enjoy having those different experiences. You get to see new faces, old faces, and maybe some horses you have paddocked in the past. I like the atmosphere of the racetrack on race day.

“And I love just being with the horses. That always makes me feel great.”

As does another occasion, specifically, when the track photographer takes a photo of one of Eddy’s horses after a race.

“Seeing one of your horses win a race is a great experience, every time,” Eddy said. “It makes you feel like you have done your job properly and you feel good for the horse. They try their best and to see them succeed… I want them to know they have won. I enjoy being around them and seeing them succeed.”

On the afternoons and evenings where there are no winner’s circle photos to pose for, Eddy doesn’t hang his head or dwell on what might have been.

In those moments, he is reminded of the advice his parents gave him long before he cared for his first horse.

“I never let those bad days get to me,” Eddy said. “There is always tomorrow and that could be a great day.”

Whether it is or not, there is always one constant in Eddy’s outlook on life.

“One of the main things is to be myself and not change to be someone you are not,” he said. “And always have a positive attitude. Not every day is going to be a good one, so you try your best to keep an upbeat attitude and make sure you always keep the horses as your top priority.”

It is a promise he has kept for years, one that has continued to serve him well throughout a treasured career.

Not surprisingly, the start of 2025 has already been a busy time for Eddy.

He wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I enjoy what I do,” he said with a wide smile. “And I hope I have more fun in the future.”

Which very well could include trips to racetracks he has yet to visit and horses he has not worked with.

Passport not included.

“If they made one of those for racing in Ontario, I should probably think of getting one,” he said.