Columbus, OH – Fresh off a great performance at the Devon Horse Show, GW C Jane Pace (show name: GW Jane) is heading to the Bromont International Driving Event in Quebec. Held June 18-21, Bromont is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious combined driving events in North America, drawing elite competitors from across the United States and Canada.
GW C Jane Pace is an unraced 7-year-old daughter by Dream Away out of the Western Hanover mare Family Love. Bred by Winbak Farm, “Jane” was a $10,000 purchase out of the 2020 Standardbred Horse Sale, selling under the name Janeann’s Family. In 2021, Jane was bought by Gales Way Horse Farm, for the brother-sister duo Josh Gale and Wendy Hale. After it was apparent Jane was not going to make it to the races, she was retired from the track and given to Josh’s wife, Erin, to explore the world of combined driving.
“I’ve been working consistently with Jane for the past two years,” explained Erin. “Late in the 2024 season was her first time out and she was very green. Last year she was more comfortable with horse show life, had a good idea of the job, and showed a lot of promise in the combined driving events. We spent a lot of time this past winter training and (are) ready to hit the season really campaigning.”
At the Devon Horse Show on May 26, Jane and Erin finished third in the Single Horse Pleasure Driving class and second in the Single Horse Scurry. Other Standardbreds who competed at Devon included Captain Koine (show name: Jack Of All Trades) and Amanda Bauver, who finished third in the Scurry, and Dontmindifigoo and Ashley Parsells, who finished fourth in the Pleasure Driving class and fifth in the Scurry.
With the launch of the Standardbred Incentive Program (SIP) in 2022 to recognize and reward those that compete with Standardbreds in disciplines other than racing, Outreach staff can better see where Standardbreds are competing, and in what disciplines, to further promote the breed in those areas. The USTA is a Breed Partner with the American Driving Society (ADS) to encourage those in the driving community to consider a Standardbred for their next driving partner.
Both Gale and Parsells are SIP participants and, due to the increased participation of Standardbreds in driving events, SIP has created new subdivisions for the 2026 show season to better reflect the classes SIP participants show in. The Single Horse Pleasure Driving class placings got both pairs points in the “Ring Classes/In Harness” subdivision of the Carriage/Pleasure Driving division, while the Scurry class got them points in the “Singular CDE Events” subdivision.
To learn more about the various Life After Racing initiatives through the USTA, including a breakdown of all division and subdivisions recognized through SIP, visit LifeAfterRacing.ustrotting.com.