Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Canada’s most winningest road horse, Camden East’s J S Storm Trooper, passed away last month at his home stable of Nugent Farms.
Known as the ageless wonder, he was 21 at the time of his passing, where he was under the care of Carolyn Nugent, who acquired him with her late father Lloyd in 2010.
Just days before Trooper’s sudden passing, Nugent spoke with the Beaver about his most recent win, capturing the Roadster and Wagon Stakes at last November’s Royal Winter Fair in Toronto. He won multiple titles in both bike and wagon, including national championships in 2012, ‘13, ‘16, ‘17 and ‘18, doing it one final time in ‘23 at the age of 20.
Father Time will eventually catch up all great athletes-but a select few can delay the inevitable and outperform those half their age. Storm Trooper was one such athlete. At 20-years-old he continued to wow judges, repeating as champion. Known as the ‘Ageless Wonder’, Trooper first competed at Toronto’s Royal in 2011.
“At 20-years-old I never saw him better. He blew me away at the Royal Winter Fair,” said Nugent just days before his unexpected passing due to colic. Nugent and her father spent hours training Storm Trooper together at their stables, Nugent Farms. “(Storm Trooper) had an injury in 2022 and I couldn’t take him, seven days before we went to the Royal. He had a groin injury and I was devastated. He was ready to go. I thought ‘am I ever going to get him back to where he needs to be?’ He certainly went into the Royal (in November) and showed them where he was.”
Kerri Lynn O’Hara drives Storm Trooper in the bike class of the Royal Winter Fair.
Nugent drove Trooper during the wagon class competitions and relied on Kerri Lynn O’Hara to drive in the bike class. As good as they are, Trooper was the star of the team.
“This horse is a once in a life time horse,” said Nugent. “He’s smart, he’s athletic, he’s the whole package. He’s beautiful to drive at home, he’s very calm. He’s easy to look after. He’s just a joy. I love driving him at home probably just as much as I do taking him to a show. He knows how to train himself now.”
Perhaps his best trait was his competitive drive-he knew what he was there for and what he needed to do to win the judge’s praise.
“When you take him to the fair he’s just got a switch that I’ve never seen another horse have,” said Nugent. “He’s calm when you hook him, put his harness on. He’s very laid back, but once he heads to the ring, that switch turns on and you better be ready because he’s ready.”
Storm Trooper won both the wagon and bike class last November at the age of 20.
What allowed Trooper to continue to compete at a high level at such an advanced age (by horse standards) is the fact the sport is more about grace than it is speed. Points are awarded based on motion and presence as they trot down the rail. Though the final part of the competition calls for the horse to ‘go for the doctor’-a call back to a time before cars when a horse wagon was the only mode of transportation and doctors employed the fastest ones to get them to an emergency-the judges are still more concerned about the look of the horse, not the speed.
After all these years, Trooper still did it better than most. He even had that little bit of cockiness that is typical among a lot of star athletes.
“He’s won in the ring and he knows that routine,” said Nugent. “When they go to call out that number, he likes to step right out. It’s almost like he figures that he’s the one. It can be a little embarrassing because sometimes I have to hold him back, because it might not be your number buddy. Most often it is, but there’s times that it hasn’t been. But he thinks it’s his number.”
Impressive as his win totals are, between COVID and the injury in 2022, those numbers are perhaps lower than they could have been. Already the most winningest road horse in the history of the Royal, it’s possible his seven victories could be up to double digits.
Not bad at all considering he was acquired with very little pedigree to his name by the Nugent family.
“He owes us nothing,” said Nugent.
With spring approaching, Nugent was just about to start training for this year’s Royal when he suddenly became ill and ultimately had to be put down.
Nugent recalls the countless hours she spent training horses with her father, who passed away in 2019, as priceless memories.
“After (Trooper) won the two green classes in 2011 we had a fella from the U.S. who wanted to buy him,” recalled Nugent. “Back then in 2011, it was pretty good money. It’s even more now. Back then the guy basically offered us $100,000 for Storm Trooper. We weren’t willing to do it. My dad said to me even a million dollars wouldn’t buy him. Because look at all the fun we’ve had with him, showing him, even training him.”
“What we got from him is worth $10 million,” added Nugent.