It’s a story we’ve heard often enough: a racehorse reaches the end of his racing career and is sent off for another career. While many find good homes and next acts as sport and pleasure horses, some aren’t so lucky. But in the case of Mr. Bob Lewis, a striking chestnut Standardbred, his luck extended beyond the winner’s circle.

After retiring from racing, “Bob”, like many racing Standardbreds, was sold to the Amish who used him for pulling a buggy. But he then found his way into a “kill” pen in Michigan. And that’s where Cape Breton’s Jayce Mercer came in. A former groom in the harness racing industry, he was on Facebook and saw the post of Bob and recognized him.

Mercer was a teenager when he’d groomed Bob, so it was around ten years since he’d last laid eyes on the horse. But the name gave him away. “He kind of caught my attention. He’s a chestnut so he’s a kind of a red colour and he stands out when he’s racing,” Mercer told the CBC.

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