Robert Stewart, secretary-manager of the Canadian Standard bred Horse Society, died suddenly after collapsing while playing in an Oldtimers’ hockey game. He was 38.
A native of Collingwood, Stewart had a lifelong involvement in almost all facets
of harness racing and served as the Society’s chief executive officer for
almost 16 years.
In his early teens he trained horses owned by his parents, Ray and Edna Stewart,
including Spencer’s Pride, Muddy Heel, If, Success Curl and Trivia. During the summer school breaks he worked as a groom at the raceways for Clarence Lockhart and Pat Crowe and also trained horses for Jack Smith and Russ Irwin. He was licensed as a driver in 1969 and drove primarily in races at “B” tracks such as Owen Sound and at fall fair meets in the Collingwood and Barrie area.
Stewart was also licensed as a starter and associate judge from 1970 to 1978 and
officiated in these capacities at various non-extended meetings. In recent years, his Adanac Farms co-owned such outstanding racehorses as Happy Little B, Mon View, Saunders Alpine Label and Trojan Leroy, all winners of more than $165,000.
Stewart was widely known and highly respected throughout the standard bred industry in both Canada and the U.S. He was primarily responsible for making the
three horse sales conducted annually by the Society among the most successful
in North America and was a strong advocate of having all horses’ blood typed and foals identified by freeze branding to ensure their identity and to verify their parentage.
After receiving his early education in Collingwood, Stewart graduated in Business
Administration from Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in Toronto and then from
the Akron School of Business Administration where he made the Dean’s List both
years.
