The Hearts Behind the Horses: Woodbine Oaks Grooms Share Their Stories

For the trainers, owners and jockeys, a spot in the Woodbine Oaks presented by Stella Artois represents months, if not years, of planning and preparation. For the grooms, it is something even more personal. They are the first to greet their horses each morning and the last to check on them each night, learning every quirk, habit and personality trait along the way.

As Dixie Law, Piper’s Gift, Red Guitar and Kinzie Girl prepare for Sunday’s 71st running of the Oaks, the people who know them best are experiencing the anticipation, pride and nerves that come with watching horses they care for like family compete on one of the biggest stages in Canadian racing.

Kyle MacDonald

Kyle MacDonald grooms both Dixie Law and Piper’s Gift for Dale Desruisseaux. MacDonald initially started at the racetrack as a hotwalker in 2021 and then became a groom full-time in 2022, after his professional baseball career came to a close. He has been with Desruisseaux since the beginning of the 2025 racing season. Currently, MacDonald grooms five horses for Desruisseaux.

Dixie Law is owned by Hillsbrook Farms. MacDonald began taking care of Dixie Law shortly after she arrived at the racetrack.

MacDonald describes Dixie Law as a “queen” and compares her to a professional athlete with her laser-focus on racing.

“She’s all racehorse. She’s all athlete. She doesn’t want all the extra lovey-dovey, cuddly stuff.

Dixie Law is particular in who she trusts.

“A lot of people try to give her mints or carrots, and she won’t eat them. She’ll take them from me, one of our hot walkers, and Dale. But unless she really knows a person, she’ll pin her ears and come out at you. She can be a little bit of a handful sometimes.”

MacDonald has taken care of Piper’s Gift since she arrived at the racetrack as a 2-year-old.

“Piper is almost the opposite (of Dixie Law). She loves her cuddles, treats, and attention. She loves to train just as much as Dixie, but she gets a little spicy when you start brushing her. Every morning, she gets turned out in a round pen, and she loves standing up there and taking everything in. She’s very chill. You wouldn’t even know it based on her personality that she’s as good as she is sometimes.”

Both Dixie Law and Piper’s Gift understand the changes in their routines leading up to race day.

“I think at this point in their career, they’re both pretty locked in on the fact that they know it’s all business (on race day). They get grazed every day, but on race day, they don’t. Usually, they would complain about that, but they go about their business, and they’re both pretty professional when it comes to race day.

“Both of them in the barn are really good on race day. They both relax and are easy to get ready. Going over is a whole other story, though. Dixie, you can’t put a lip chain on her, and can’t put the tongue tie on until she gets over. She still doesn’t love airplanes going over top of her or loud bangs or noise. She gets quirky with that kind of stuff, but once she gets through that second tunnel and towards the paddock, she’s focused.

“Piper gets up on her toes, but when she’s walking down the horse path, sometimes she’ll stop and look around and just take things in. She’s more relaxed, and when she gets into the paddock, she’ll get back up on her toes. But going over, she can stop, take things in, relax a little bit, and then go forward.”

“When they (Dixie Law and Piper’s Gift) get onto the track and get closer to the gate, it’s nerve-wracking. They’re like my kids, and I’m probably more nervous watching them run than I was before a big game I was playing myself. It’s nerve-wracking, but it’s exciting at the same time. It’s why I do this and why I went into this career path. The excitement and the work make everything worth it. You’re putting in the time and the hours, and you get to see them run like they do and get rewarded, like how they’ve been rewarding us is special.”

MacDonald is looking forward to seeing his fillies compete in the Oaks.

“At the end of last year, we had put the Oaks on our radar. It was exciting to think about the possibility of having not just one, but two possible Oaks horses. I’ve only been on the track for four or five years, and I know there’s a lot of people who have been on the track their whole life and never had an opportunity like this. I’m grateful and lucky to have an opportunity like this. It’s exciting, it’s nerve-wracking, it’s all the above. As the days get closer, I’m sure I’ll get more antsy and nervous. But it’s also the reason why we do this, and all year, what we’ve been building up to. To finally be here is exciting.”

Davae Dunkley

Red Guitar is trained by John Mattine and owned by RCC Racing Stable Ltd. Davae Dunkley is the groom.

Dunkley has worked for Mattine for six years and has groomed Red Guitar since she came to the track as a two-year-old. Currently, Dunkley has seven horses in his care as a groom.

Red Guitar is described as a “laid-back filly” who loves people. “She’s just cool. She’s not a very high-tempered filly.”

“She will normally chill in the back of the stall. “She’ll walk to the front of the stall and search you for mints. If you don’t have one, she’ll look at you and just stare. “She likes to have her face rubbed – that’s her comfort spot. You rub her face, and she’ll stand there like she wants to fall asleep.”

Red Guitar is also a gentle giant.

“Just looking at her, the average person would think that she’s a little intimidating, because she’s a very big filly. But then, she just melts all over you.

“She’s easy to work with. She’s not the type to act out or be difficult to handle. She knows the routine, and she lets you do whatever.”

Red Guitar switches gears on race day.

“In the barn and going over, she’s very laid back. But once you start to put the tack on, she gets game-ready. She gets impatient and does not want to stand around. When it’s game day, she knows.”

The Woodbine Oaks marks Red Guitar’s third lifetime start, and Dunkley has seen the filly adapt and improve heading into the race.

“They always say third time’s the charm. Now that it’s her third start, you get to see how she handles race day, and she really knows what’s going on.

“It’s very exciting. It’s very rewarding and fulfilling knowing that I’ve been with this horse. This is the first time I’ve had a horse of my own in the Oaks.

“I can’t have any other feeling than just being confident and hopeful. I spent a lot of time with her, so it’s exciting to see her reach this stage, and she’s been training well. She’s happy and healthy. It’s rewarding for the team as well, because it’s not just me. It’s always a team effort. The team put a lot of work in, and we’re looking forward to race day.”

Michelle Armata

Michael De Paulo trains Kinzie Girl, who is owned by Zilli Racing Stables. Michelle Armata grooms Kinzie Girl and has worked for De Paulo for about 12 years. She currently has six horses in her care.

Armata noted that Kinzie Girl is a “pleasure to work around.”

“She’s awesome. She’s a good girl. She doesn’t do anything wrong. She’s such a sweetie pie and smart, like I can’t believe. She makes it very enjoyable.”

Kinzie Girl loves her treats, and mints are her favourite. Kinzie Girl even knows which pocket the mints are in and reaches for that one.

“To pick her feet, she knows she’s going to get a candy, so she’ll lift her leg, and it’s like, ‘I’m not doing this until I get my candy.’ As soon as I give her a candy, she knows, ‘Okay, I have four feet, you come and pick them.’”

Armata has a strong bond with Kinzie Girl.

“She’s such a sweetheart and so good to work around. She’ll do whatever you want. She’s something special to me. All the horses have their own personality, and you connect with that horse according to their personality. I can’t have one favourite over the other because they’re all special in their own way.”

On race day, Kinzie Girl is relaxed, but is also ready to run once the tack is on.

“She’s absolutely wonderful. She’s one that I won’t take too many extra turns with when she’s about to go out or work. We tack her up when it’s time to get out of the stall, and we go. We’ll take that one turn and out of the barn we go.”

For Armata, watching the horses that she cares for on race day can bring out the butterflies.

“I get a little stressed in general when I run horses, but she makes it so relaxing for me. She’s relaxed, but you could tell she’s feeling good. You know when she’s going into the race feeling 100 percent, and she’s like, ‘Okay, let’s do this.’

“She’s going into it 100 percent and happy. I think she loves to run. She loves to do her job. That’s all you could ask for.

“They’re doing what they can for us. I always say it’s a blessing. We go to work in the morning, and we’re so lucky to work with these animals. There’s nothing more you can ask for.”

-30-

Sophie Charalambous, for Woodbine