Harness racing has taken Claudia Jacques on quite a ride

by Chris Lomon

Claudia Jacques joined the standardbred racing world in the most unexpected way.

After graduating from high school in her native Quebec, the horse-loving teenager set out to further her equine education at the collegiate level. She focused on attending ferme-école LAPOKITA, a non-profit educational farm affiliated with the Institut de technologie agroalimentaire du Québec (ITAQ) campus in La Pocatière, north of Quebec City.

“I have always loved horses since I was about 3,” Jacques said. “They have always been my favorite animal. After high school, I focused on attending a college that provides a program and courses focused on riding horses.”

In horse racing parlance, however, her chances of getting into her preferred program were a longshot.

“They only take 40 students a year,” Jacques said. “There are 10 in harness racing, 10 in western, 10 in pleasure and 10 in jumpers. Unfortunately, I was the 11th one in the riding horse program. But they told me they had an opening in the harness racing one and if I would be interested in taking one session, the next semester I could switch to the riding horses program.

“I had no clue about harness racing. But I thought I should do it because I was going to be in the college anyway. I figured I would do the harness one and then move on to the other program.”

Those plans quickly changed.

“I fell in love with harness racing the first time I sat behind a horse,” Jacques said. “With this program, you break babies. They also had two older horses where you learned about equipment and other things. I had no clue what the equipment was and had to learn a lot, but I enjoyed it. I never went back to riding horses again.”

The riding horse world’s loss became the standardbred world’s gain.

After graduation, Jacques set her sights on Ontario.

“Once I finished college, my friend and I moved to Ontario,” she said. “The business back then in Quebec was okay, but we knew we needed to go to Ontario for work. So, we decided to learn English, move to Ontario and then figured we would move back to Quebec in a year.”

The return trip never happened.

“Here are I am, now 20 years later,” Jacques said with a laugh.

She has worked for several notable trainers over her time in Canada’s most populous province.

“When I first moved here, I started with Rick Zeron because he knew my teacher in Quebec,” Jacques said. “He spoke with my teacher to learn some more about me and then I went to work in his barn. I went on to work for Herb Holland and Rob Fellows.”

Once again, Jacques had to change course, a move based on necessity rather than want.

Another career shift came in 2012 when Ontario’s Slots at Racetracks program was discontinued. Like many others in the industry, Jacques was forced to reconsider her future in racing.

She would still have ties to racing over the next seven years, but in a part-time, limited role.

“I had my own cleaning business during the time I was away from racing,” she said. “I was still doing paddocks and things like that, but it wasn’t on a full-time basis.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in 2020, Jacques found herself at another crossroads. After careful consideration, she decided to return to the barn.

“At first, it was part-time, then it became a full-time job again, with Ted MacDonnell,” she said. “Eventually, I went to work with Garry [her husband, trainer Merner]. He had started his own stable and was slowly building it. We had a small number of horses at the time, but it was nice to be back in the business again.”

An industry that has always felt like home for Jacques.

These days, she is busier than ever, taking care of six horses in the bustling Merner stable.

She takes immense pride in her role as a caretaker and places the welfare of her horses above all else.

“I just make sure things are done right,” she said. “It is our own business, so you are the last one there at night, making sure you have to check everything off the list of things that need to be completed. I work closely with Wayne Hafey because he is the second trainer for Garry.”

Jacques also enjoys mentoring newer caretakers in the barn.

“I have 20-odd years of experience and that does count for something,” Jacques said. “If I can help guide the staff — and we have great people — and maybe offer some advice or listen to their questions, that makes me happy. They know what they are doing, but maybe you have learned something over the years that can be helpful to them.”

When it comes to the horses under her care, Jacques refuses to play favorites, even when one of them is a standout performer like Ayeaye Captain Deo, the son of Captaintreacherous who recently captured the $101,250 Graduate Series at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

“I treat them all the same,” she said. “I always have. Whether it is Ayeaye Captain Deo, Nova Blu, or one racing in claiming, they are equal in my eyes. They get the same care, same love, and same everything. They don’t know they are fast or what level they are racing at. What they do have is their own personalities and they deserve to be treated the same way.”

That level of attention and care starts the moment Jacques sets foot in the shedrow.

“The best part [of my job] is when I come into the barn in the morning,” she said. “It may sound silly, but when I see the horses with their heads sticking out of their stalls and they are nickering at me, I just love that. They are happy to see me, they want attention and I am happy to give them that. It’s as though they are saying, ‘This is my mom.’ The love you get back from your horses is wonderful.

“I would say the most challenging part is when you have done so much work as a team and then the result isn’t what you hoped it would be. Obviously, it takes a lot of work to make sure the horses are happy and healthy, and to get them prepared to race. The time, effort, and hours you put in makes you feel disappointed when it doesn’t work out.”

Even during those difficult moments, Jacques finds fulfillment in knowing she has discovered her true calling, one she never expected to find.

“I didn’t expect this would be the way I would work with horses, but I am so happy that I am here,” Jacques said. “I am grateful every day.”