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Reinventing Racehorses
Trainers Challenge
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Let's Meet Our 2025 Trainers
Kristin Stewart brings years of experience retraining off-the-track horses and a deep respect for Standardbreds. She’s excited to build a trusting partnership with a brave, forward-thinking horse and help it thrive in a new career.
Shyanne White, our Board Treasurer, is stepping into the 2025 Trainers Challenge with a clean slate and a heart full of passion for showcasing the potential of retired Standardbreds. With a training philosophy rooted in positive reinforcement and a focus on building confidence and curiosity, she’s ready to lead by example and dive deep into the transformation journey.
Neil McCoag brings over 60 years of hands-on experience in the racing industry, from training and driving Standardbreds to starting horses under saddle and harness. With a calm, consistent approach, he’s ready to guide a retired racehorse into a confident new chapter beyond the track.
Sarah Cuthbertson, an accomplished endurance and RUS rider from Ontario, returns to the 2025 Trainers Challenge after finishing second in last year’s event with Turbo Timmy. With a deep love for Standardbreds and a track record of successful second-career transitions, she’s ready to bring out the best in her next partner.
Camelia Cyr Ouellette is the reigning 2024 Reinventing Racehorses Champion, known for her thoughtful, individualized approach to training. She’s returning to the 2025 Challenge with hopes of going back-to-back, bringing empathy, adaptability, and a deep passion for helping horses thrive in their next chapter.
Let's Meet Our 2025 Horses
The Underdog
Longn Winding Road steps into this year’s Challenge at 18 years old — the seasoned veteran of the group. With 134 starts, 27 wins, and over $40,000 earned, his racing days ended back in 2015, traded for quiet years spent babysitting youngsters and enjoying a well-earned retirement with his longtime owners.
Originally, a different horse was slated to take this spot. But just a few short weeks before the Challenge began, a miscommunication between owners saw that horse unexpectedly rehomed, leaving us scrambling for a replacement. Longn Winding Road’s owners — already sending one horse into the Challenge — offered him without hesitation. No questions, just pure trust in his heart, mind, and quiet potential to take on something entirely new. We just know this underdog is going to get the support of everyone behind him!
The War Horse
At 14 years old, Chocolate Crackers is a pacing-bred gelding who carries with him a record that doesn’t need fanfare to be impressive—386 lifetime starts, 48 wins, and over half a million dollars earned. That’s not just durability, it’s grit and class. This is a horse who showed up every time he was asked.
His career came to a close in late 2024 after a minor coffin bone fracture—his body finally saying, “I’ve done enough.” He came to us soon after, and over the past months, he has healed with grace and patience, being as steady in rehab as he was behind the gate. He is now sound, strong, and ready to prove that just because he left the track doesn’t mean he’s done shining.
The Queen
Some names carry stories — and Nellie Hudson’s started long before she ever set a hoof on the track. Named after her breeder’s grandmother, who crossed oceans and built her own legacy in Lakefield, Ontario, Nellie steps into this challenge carrying that same quiet strength. She is a 6-year-old trotting-bred mare, born May 7, 2019, and raced fifteen times and earned just over $7,800—never flashy, but always with try. Her last race was in October 2023, and while her connections hoped for a comeback, a hind suspensory injury in early 2024 changed the plan. It didn’t end her story, just rerouted it. Her racing team chose to retire her sound and smart, and send her to us with one request: help her find the right second career.
The Princess
Buena Suerte may have only had one win on the track, but she’s already done something far more impressive: she stepped off the racetrack, stepped into motherhood, and now steps into a whole new world. At just six years old, with her first and only foal on the ground in 2024, Buena Suerte’s former connections saw a bigger future for her. When she didn’t catch back in foal, they made a choice — not to send her back to racing, but to give her this opportunity instead. A new start. One built on potential, partnership, and promise.
Her name means “good luck” — but make no mistake, it’s not luck that will carry her forward now. It’s heart. It’s try. It’s the kind of determination that trainers dream of building on. And as she steps into the Reinventing Racehorses Trainers Challenge, she carries not just her own future, but the hopes of her wonderful connections who believed she could be something even bigger.
The Kid
Every class has the kid — the one who’s green, eager, and just waiting for their turn to shine. That’s Port Hill Spirit. Fresh off of recent race training and full of try, this handsome gelding might not have too many miles under his belt just yet, but what he lacks in experience, he makes up for in heart. This is a 3 year old pacing-bred gelding who was trained down for racing but never made it to the starting gate. During faster training miles, he showed signs of airway restriction—an issue that doesn’t affect him at lower speeds however, and it won’t interfere with a riding career.
His connections opted not to pursue surgery due to its limited success rate and instead chose to retire him from racing potential with care, ensuring he had the best chance at a different future and comes as a complete clean slate.
2025 PLANNING
The Reinventing Racehorses Challenge is back for 2025! This exciting 12-week event, commencing on June 21, 2025, will showcase the versatility and talent of retired Standardbred racehorses as they embark on a transformative journey with five dedicated trainers. The program not only highlights the potential of these incredible horses but also paves the way for their next chapter in life through adoption.
Challenge Format
Five trainers will be paired with five Standardbred horses.
Trainers and horses will compete in a series of challenges designed to demonstrate skill, adaptability, and teamwork.
The event culminates in a virtual finale, where winners will be announced, and prizes awarded.
Adoption Opportunity
At the end of the 12 weeks, all five horses will be available for adoption.
Trainers will have the first option to adopt their assigned horse.
Trainer Benefits
Trainers will be reimbursed up to $300 per month to cover care needs for the horses during their time. (vet and farrier is covered above the $300)
Trainers will also receive a portion of the final winnings based on their performance.
Points System
The Reinventing Racehorses Challenge will operate in 2025 on a dynamic point system designed to motivate trainers to set and achieve meaningful goals with their horses. Points will be earned based on the completion of training milestones, performance in designated challenges, and active participation in providing updates on their progress.
During the finale challenges, bonus points will be awarded for showcasing exceptional skills, creativity, and teamwork, as evaluated by a panel of judges. This system not only encourages goal-setting and accountability but also celebrates the transformative journey of each trainer-horse pair throughout the challenge.
TIMELINE
Trainer Applications Open: Now Closed.
Challenge Start Date: June 21, 2025.
Challenge End Date & Virtual Finale: September 13, 2025.
Adoption Process Opens: August 15, 2025.
2025 SPONSORS NEEDED
🌟 Become a Sponsor for the Reinventing Racehorses Challenge! 🌟
Support the transformation of retired Standardbreds as they embark on a new journey! By sponsoring the Reinventing Racehorses Challenge, you’ll not only help showcase the incredible potential of these horses but also gain valuable exposure for your brand.
Whether you become a Champion Sponsor, a Lead Rein Sponsor, or leave your mark as a Hoofprint Sponsor, your contribution makes a difference. Together, we can change lives—one horse and one trainer at a time.
Join us in making this event unforgettable! 🐴💖
📩 Contact us today to secure your sponsorship spot! Email administration@newstartstandardbreds.com
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$1,000 “Champion Sponsor” (1 of 2 available)
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Celebrate your brand as the driving force behind the entire challenge, just like a champion leads the race!\
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THANK YOU MANITOULIN RESORT FOR BEING A 2025 CHAMPION SPONSOR!
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$500 “Lead Rein Sponsor” (5 available)
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Support individual trainers and their transformative work with their Standardbred partner.
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$100 “Stride Sponsor” (12 available)
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Make a lasting impact by sponsoring one of the weeks during the 12-week journey.
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$25 “Hoofprint Sponsor” (60 available)
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Leave your mark by sponsoring an engaging interview question that connects the trainers to the community.
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2025 CONFIRMED SPONSORS:
Champion:
Lead Rein:
Stride:
Hoofprint:
2025 POINTS SYSTEM
To ensure fairness and encourage consistent participation, the challenge will utilize a comprehensive points system. Trainers can earn points throughout the 12-week program by completing weekly requirements and achieving specific milestones. These points will be used in addition to the points earned through the four finale challenges to be completed at the end of the 12 weeks.
Weekly Tasks (Consistent Engagement)
1. Weekly 5-Minute Video Updates (10 points per week)
Trainers must submit a video showing progress, training methods, and interactions with their horse.
2. Weekly Video Interview Question (5 points per week)
Answering a specific question about their experience, challenges, or goals for the week.
Total Points for Weekly Tasks = 180 points
Challenge Milestones
1. Week 2: Show the horse responding reliably to groundwork basics such as leading, flexing, and lunging 2 gaits. (20 points)
2. Week 2: Show the horse adapting to carrying a rider for the first time. (20 points)
3. Week 4: Successfully navigate a short trail ride or simulated trail course. (20 points)
4. Week 4: Showcase the horse participating in a ride with at least one other horse (20 points)
5. Week 6: Smooth transitions between walk, trot, and halt, showing responsiveness and relaxation during each. (20 points)
6. Week 8: Safely navigate basic trail obstacles such as bridges, tarps, or cones, either in-hand or under saddle. (50 points)
7: Week 10: Exhibit the horse competing in an off-property event. (50 points)
8. Week 10: Exhibit the horse taking canter leads under saddle, showing progress even if not yet perfected. (50 points)
Total Points for Challenge Milestones = 250 points
Finale Challenges
1. Dressage Finale (Cadora Walk/Trot Test "A")
2. Obstacle Course (Showcase 10 Obstacles - must include one dismount/mount up, one obstacle walked over, and one obstacle walked through)
3. Hunter/Jumper Course (jumps can be from ground poles up to 2' in height)
4. Freestyle
Points System per finale:
1st Place: 100 points 2nd Place: 80 points 3rd Place: 60 points 4th Place: 40 points 5th Place: 20 points
2025 TRAINERS WINNINGS
Trainers in the Reinventing Racehorses Challenge have the chance to win more than just bragging rights!
At the end of the 12-week journey, trainers will receive:
First Place
75% of the adoption fee for their challenge horse
Champion Cooler
Fun Goodies
Second Place
60% of the adoption fee for their challenge horse
Fun Goodies
Third Place
50% of the adoption fee for their challenge horse
Fun Goodies
Fourth Place
40% of the adoption fee for their challenge horse
Fun Goodies
Fifth Place
30% of the adoption fee for their challenge horse
Fun Goodies
*** If a trainer wishes to adopt their challenge horse, they will only be required to pay the adoption programs portion of the adoption fee at the end of the challenge (i.e.. if the winner adopts, they would only owe the 25% remaining on the adoption fee).
2024 FINAL PLACINGS
Champion: Camelia Cyr-Ouellette & Brookdale Gia
2nd Place: Sarah Cuthbertson & Turbo Timmy
3rd Place: Holly Lacroix & Thee Impressionist
4th Place: Becca Proctor & Roman
5th Place: Jemma Elsdon & Lyons Queen - While they were unable to participate in the finale, this team showed how dedication and commitment can truly bring together a team! We appreciate Jemma, who originally had to step down as a chosen trainer due to life changes, take the chance to try to still participate with her own Standardbred who just retired off the racetrack prior to the start of the challenge.
SPONSORED BY: Manitoulin Resort & CCM Enterprises Ltd.