Mississauga, ON — Longtime Standardbred racehorse owner and harness racing fan Alphonsus ‘Al’ Rideout, 76, died June 10, 2019, after a short battle with cancer.

He was the loving husband of 53 years to Mary; cherished father to Doug (Julie), Darrell and Kevin (Heather); will be sadly missed by his siblings, Sheila, Loretta, Hilda, Betty, Mike, Rick and Jim; loving papa to Dougie, Dakota, Josh, Jono, Brenden, Brynn, Scott, Billy, Gracie and Austin; and great papa to Douglas, Makai, Kamdin, Kyler and Kodi. He was preceded in death by his parents, Richard and Elizabeth; and siblings, Anne, Marilyn and Sam.

He will be fondly remembered by his many friends, specifically Pete Hald, his extended family and the horse racing community.

The Rideout family has been in the Standardbred sport for many years. His sons, Darrell and Doug, have trained horses for years (Doug also drives). Also, both trainer/driver Bill Cass and former ORC judge Paul Cass are his brothers-in-law.

Mr. Rideout worked for A&P his whole life, but owned many horses over the years. He could be found multiple nights or weekends watching and wagering at Orangeville Raceway, where his wife, Mary, ran the backstretch kitchen. He was also a fixture at Barrie, Hanover and Elmira raceways, and, more recently, Georgian Downs and Grand River Raceway. Additionally, if he wasn’t at the track, he was on the couch watching HPItv.

A celebration of life will be held on Sunday (June 16) from 1-4 p.m. at the Shelburne Legion – Museum Room (front hall).

Memorial contributions may be made to the Canadian Cancer Society or SPCA and would be greatly appreciated.