Robert James Speers
R. James Speers | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 3, 1882 Elmbank, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | July 19, 1955 |
| Resting place | Elmwood Cemetery, Winnipeg |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman, Racehorse owner/breeder, Racetrack owner |
| Spouse | Annie Ella Troughton[1] |
| Children | 2[1][2] |
| Awards | Canadian Breeder of the Year (1946-1951) |
| Honors |
|
Robert James Speers (September 3, 1882 – July 19, 1955) was a Canadian businessman and Canada's Sports Hall of Fame inductee who made a major contribution to the growth of Thoroughbred horse racing in Western Canada.[3]
Born in
Whittier Park Stock Farm
In 1925, James Speers founded the Prairie Thoroughbred Breeders' Association and began breeding Thoroughbreds that would earn him six consecutive Canadian Breeder of the Year Awards between 1946 and 1951. His Whittier Park Stock Farm not only won races at his own track but at the hub of Canadian racing in Toronto where his colt Lord Fairmond notably won a division of the 1948 Plate Trial Stakes and the Prince of Wales Stakes. Speers stud bred Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame Youville as well as Loyalist, the winner of the 1955 Canadian Derby.
James Speers was inducted in Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1966, was part of the 1976 inaugural class of inductees in the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame,[4] and was inducted in the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in 1983.[5]
Following the devastation of the
James Speers died of a
References
- ^ a b "Memorable Manitobans: Anna Meldred Speers (1908-1996)".
- ^ "Memorable Manitobans: Robert James "Jim" Speers (1882-1955)".
- ^ Profile of R. James Speers at Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
- ^ R. James Speers at the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
- ^ R. James Speers at the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame & Museum
- ^ R. James Speers and the 1950 Red River flood
- ^ July 20, 1955 New York Times report on the death of Robert James Speers
- ^ Assiniboia Downs article with photograph of James Speers' gravestone
- Wilson, Keith & Lussier, Antoine S. Off And Running - Horse Racing in Manitoba (1978) Peguis Publishers Limited ISBN 0-919566-61-8