OTTB to Royal Champion: Lakeside Park’s Remarkable Rise

Catching the eye of an esteemed event rider like Dr. Penny Rowland, who has stood toe-to-toe with the sport’s finest while representing Canada on the world stage, is no small feat – even for a warmblood.

So, when a Thoroughbred makes a lasting impression on a prominent figure in the eventing sphere, it’s bound to turn some heads.

Yet, as the veterinarian by trade has experienced first-hand, the breed renowned for its prowess on the racetrack is equally equipped to excel in the arena.

“Oh, I love Thoroughbreds,” said Rowland, who completed her university studies in Kenya. “A lot of people now know me as the one who goes to the Thoroughbreds rather than the warmbloods. I just think the world of them. I love their brains; I love their athleticism.”

Lakeside Park, who made 13 starts before hanging up the horseshoes in 2020, has become a shining example of Rowland’s unwavering belief in race-retired Thoroughbreds.

“He is just the sweetest, kindest horse that obviously still has ability,” Rowland said of the chestnut gelding she acquired from Southern Belle Thoroughbreds the year he retired.

“I first got him as a three-year-old and thought, ‘This guy’s quite nice.’ I started campaigning him and he just got better and better.”

The son of Old Forester–Gerty’s Turn represents Rowland’s third purchase from the matching service that pairs off-track Thoroughbreds (OTTBs) who have competed at Woodbine or Fort Erie with new career and life opportunities beyond the racetrack.

Lakeside Park’s swift and natural adeptness for his new craft reinforced Rowland’s conviction that he was heading down the right path.

“He did his first Preliminary [Open] when he was five, which is very young to do that level, but he was ready for it. He really was.”

While neither Lakeside Park nor Rowland were prepared for what would come next, the two continued to fortify their bond through their shared passion for competing.

“I got breast cancer shortly after that, and yet he was the one that I would ride and show,” shared Rowland. “When you get that diagnosis, you kind of go, ‘Hmm, I don’t know how much longer I’m going to be doing this, but he’s good to go.’

“I took him to Bromont [Olympic Equestrian Park] and competed with him, thinking that might be my last three-day – and here I am still going. But still, at the time, you think, ‘Wow, this guy is really cool. He’s the one that you walk into the barn and always love to see his face. Just a kind, kind soul.’”

With a blossoming Lakeside Park at her side, Rowland remained steadfast in her bout with adversity.

The native of Edmonton, Alberta pushed forward in her pursuit of reaching eventing’s upper levels with her new protégé.

When the time came, Rowland opted against competing herself, instead deciding that a different rider should pilot a “very capable” Lakeside Park.

Cue Jamie Kellock.

The “up-and-coming rider,” in Rowland’s words, has been integral in Lakeside Park’s rapid ascent.

In fact, it’s Kellock, who after riding Lakeside Park all year, helped position him for his grandest showcase thus far – the 2025 Royal Horse Show at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto, ON.

Getting there, as Rowland recalled, was only half the story.

“Jamie got invited to the Royal Fair, but she actually had another horse that she was going to take. Then, another previous team rider, Waylon Roberts, who lives in South Carolina, also qualified to do the Indoor but had to fly up and needed a horse to ride.

“I conferred with Jamie and said, ‘If you’re not riding him, then I’d like Waylon to take him because he’s more than capable of doing it – Waylon is a great rider.’”

Roberts, a member of Canada’s bronze medal eventing team at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto and Royal Fair record-holding eight-time Indoor Eventing Challenge champion, is as good a pinch hitter as there is.

Even so, he faced a tall task ahead of the main event on Saturday, November 8.

“He literally rode the Lakeside Park Friday morning and then took him to class Friday night,” told Rowland.

Despite their limited acquaintance, Lakeside Park and Roberts, in front of a jam-packed Coca-Cola Coliseum, stopped the clock in 186.29 seconds to capture the $20,000 Mad Barn Indoor Eventing Challenge title – a record-extending ninth for Roberts.

For Rowland, observing attentively from the crowd, the thrill of victory was astounding.

“For me, it was just the fact that I’ve got my Thoroughbred in there up against some pretty fancy other horses with a rider that doesn’t know him, and he went in there and did his job. It was a very proud moment.”

Pride, beaming from the horse in the arena and the veteran horsewoman who scouted and curated his talents, is at the core of another off-track Thoroughbred success story.

The enriching experience that is shepherding a horse towards a new purpose is one Rowland has lived countless times over.

Today, she devotes her time to allowing others to revel in that same joy.

“What I’m doing is training the young ones up to a certain level and then going, ‘Okay, the forte of this one is jumping, the forte for this one is eventing’ – whatever I think their strength is, is where I try to market them.

“You get to know the horses, and some of the horses, you’ve had for a while, they’re your friends, so you want it to work – you don’t sell them just because you want to sell. You sell because it’s going to make somebody else happy.”

Through her relationship with organizations like Southern Belle, which has facilitated over 1,300 adoptions since being established in 2017, Rowland is able to advocate for the Thoroughbred while simultaneously staying involved with the discipline she loves.

Her unabashed affection for the breed is undeniable.

“I enjoy the training of the young horses, and my favourite really is the Thoroughbreds. You can buy an off-the-track Thoroughbred, put some time and money into it, and not go completely broke.

“You could also buy a four-year-old warmblood but it’s going to cost you ten times as much to buy and then there’s no guarantee it’s going to be better. I stick with the service because I can afford to and I really enjoy doing it.”

Matthew Lomon, for Woodbine