2024 – Driver
Ed Tracey of Weyburn, Saskatchewan, was one of the western province’s most accomplished drivers, winning 3,168 races and driving horses to more than $7.5 million in purse earnings during a career that spanned more than 55 years.
He inherited his passion for racing from his father, Hugh, and established his foundation by honing his driving skills at a grassroots level by driving in heat racing in many of southern Saskatchewan villages. Ed drove his first winner about a week after acquiring his license from the Canadian Trotting Association at age 15, guiding Silver Direct to victory at the Weyburn track. Starting out in three heat racing with $100 purses, he graduated to two-heats-a-day racing in bigger Saskatchewan towns such as Prince Albert, Moose Jaw, Lloydminster, North Battleford, Indian Head, Melfort and Nipawin. Following his early days in heat racing, he moved on to major one- or two-week race meets held in Regina and Saskatoon and to the late fall meets in Edmonton and Calgary in the early 1960s.
“Steady Eddie”, as he was fondly referred to by racing fans, spent numerous years traveling across Canada and the US. He drove in California, St. Louis, Kentucky, Maryland and in six Canadian provinces, competing at different levels and sizes of tracks.
Tracey owned and bred many of the horses that he raced including Skittles N Beer, a winner of more than $65,000 with a lifetime best of a crisp 1:56.3. The horse was special in many ways for Tracey and when the pair were in Alberta, they often headed to the mountains where he rode the horse.
In 1978, Ottawa’s Rideau Canal set the scene for one of his career highlights as he won the Canadian Club Classic Ice Racing Championship, defeating many of the sport’s top reinsmen including Ron Waples, John Campbell, Benoit Cote, Buddy Gilmore, Delvin Miller and Roach McGregor.
That same year, Tracey topped the driving charts for wins at meets held at Northlands in Edmonton, and Stampede Park in Calgary, and he was named Alberta’s Horseman of the Year. He guided Quille Lauxmont, the best horse he ever sat behind, to a memorable victory in the Miller Memorial at Rosecroft Racetrack and she was honoured in 1986 as Alberta’s top two-year-old filly while Corporate Prince, another horse who benefitted from Tracey’s talent, was the province’s top two-year-old colt. In 1998, he was honoured with the Dr. Clara Christie Award for his outstanding contributions to Alberta Harness Racing.
A race named in Ed Tracey’s honour is held annually at Century Downs in Alberta.
Standardbred Racing in Western Canada owes much of its success to horsemen like Ed Tracey, undoubtedly one of Saskatchewan’s most accomplished drivers, who helped pave the way for the future generation.