Horse Person of the Month for August Presented by New Holland: Devon Boreland

Devon Boreland is, admittedly, a man of few words. It is, however, a far different story when it comes to his horses.

A sure sign of the affection the longtime horseman has for Thoroughbreds is when he isn’t around them for more 24 hours.

“If I am away from my horses for two days, I don’t like it,” said Boreland. “It makes me feel uncomfortable. I have my own family, but these horses are my family too.”

It is the way Boreland has always viewed horses.

Growing up in Jamaica, he found the racetrack and its equine stars in his early teens.

He forged a fast connection with the horses, working with them before and after school, and on weekends.

“My uncle, he was a jockey, and then he became trainer. I used to go to the barn every day because I was living with him. I would go and help him. I always looked forward to it. I would wake and be smiling.”

While most find their career calling later in life, Boreland knew early on what his would be.

In 1981, he came to Canada.

Shortly after his arrival, Boreland was on the Woodbine backstretch, looking for work.

It didn’t take long for him to find employment.

“I got a job as a groom with Laurie Silvera,” said Boreland, of the Jamaican-born trainer, who would go on to win 1,049 races over an impressive career. “He was a very good horseman, especially with babies. He was very patient with them. I learned a lot from him, which has helped me over the years. You asked him any question and he would always give you an answer.

One of the people Boreland worked with was Nathan Squires, who would become assistant trainer to Silvera, before striking out on his own.

Three years ago, the pair were reunited.

“I became assistant trainer to Laurie after Nathan left to train his own stable and now, I am back with him.”

Squires, enjoying a banner 2024 season, has trained several stars over the years.

Many of those standouts are sired by Cairo Prince.

One of them, Cairo Caper, recently won the Soaring Free Stakes.

“I was very excited,” recalled Boreland, of the handsome grey gelding he grooms. “Nathan was very high on him from day one. He’s a very good horse. Nathan has been so lucky with the Cairo Prince horses over the years.”

Boreland had a front-row view of Cairo Caper’s stirring score over the E.P. Taylor turf.

“When he came back after the race to go to the winner’s circle, I smiled, patted him, and said, ‘Good boy!’ I treat my horses the same way, but he did get an extra treat that day.

“When you see your horses winning, it is a wonderful feeling. You feel very happy to know the horses you take care of are running to the best of their abilities. But even in the barn, I want to know every horse is doing well.”

On that day, the man of few words had more than he typically would.

That, however, isn’t always the case.

Boreland’s word count, body language and demeanor all depend on how the race plays out in the final stages.

“To be honest, sometimes I am loud. And other times, I am very quiet. When they are running on, if they are in front and they look good, I will be quiet. But if they are making a run from behind, it is exciting and that is when I get loud. When they are coming at the eighth-pole or the sixteenth-pole and you know they are going to get there, I am very excited.”

Which is exactly how Boreland has always felt around horses, regardless of the long hours, ups and downs, and challenges that come with the role.

“I am up at 2:30 to 2:45 every morning. I leave around 3:00 and it takes me about 20 minutes to get to the racetrack.”

The place that has and always will be where the horseman feels very much at home.

“I spend most of my day at the barn. Most horse people do that. I love horses and I want to spend as much time as I can with them. They are the most beautiful animals in the world.”

Chris Lomon, Woodbine