Obit: Legendary LaSalle Hall of Fame horseman was ‘huge star’

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Robert ‘Bob’ McIntosh — Aug. 11, 1952 – July 28, 2024

He earned more than 4,600 wins and $106 million in purse money — and took zero shortcuts. 

LaSalle’s Bob McIntosh, widely considered one of the greatest trainers and breeders in the history of harness racing, was being honoured at tracks around Ontario this week after dying Sunday at age 71. 

“He was a huge star,” said journalist Dave Briggs, editor of Harness Racing Update, who grew up in LaSalle. “When I started writing about harness racing, it was right around 1995, and he was one of the first people I gravitated toward because of the Windsor area and LaSalle.

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“He was a huge name at that time and he basically was a huge name for most of his career. His accomplishments in harness racing are astronomical.

“They’re incredible.” 

McIntosh was inducted into the U.S. Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 2003 and the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 2010. 

He was named Canada’s Horseperson of the Year twice, U.S. Trainer of the Year twice, and Canada’s Trainer of the Year seven times. 

At his peak, Briggs said McIntosh was racing around 80 horses at a time, trucking them all over North America. His stable won more than 4,600 races and took about $106 million in earnings.  

“He is the No. 1 ranked Canadian trainer of all time in the harness racing industry if you go by money,” said Briggs.  

“Fourth-leading trainer by money in the history of the sport. There are only three people ahead of him and they’re all based in the United States.” 

No funeral is planned. McIntosh was predeceased by wife Patty and is survived by sons Rob and Sean. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Hospice of Windsor and Essex County.

Among the many champions McIntosh trained — several of which were voted Horse of the Year in Canada or the U.S. — was Camluck. Considered one of the greatest standardbred sires in history, the stallion was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 2003 and Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 2008. 

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“But he didn’t just go and buy fancy horses at yearling auctions and take development horses and turn them into champions,” said Briggs. “He bred his own.

“He went into the breeding industry and produced his own champions. That’s just incredible in the sport because it’s much easier to go buy somebody’s well-bred perfect specimen horse and make them a winner.

“It’s another thing to take whatever your horses produce and turn them into champions.” 

The legendary trainer and breeder got his start working on his father’s farm in Wheatley. McIntosh never moved from the area, even after Windsor Raceway shutdown in 2012, putting the next closest track hours down Highway 401. 

“So when he races a horse, you would have to get in the truck and trailer, drive four hours down to Mohawk racetrack and drive four hours back,” said Briggs.

“And they race at night, so you’re getting home at four in the morning. He would do that for his whole career.” 

It was a passion right to the end. Briggs said McIntosh was still racing horses this year. But the most impressive thing about the man’s accomplishments, Briggs said, was how he earned them. 

“One of the things that is important about Bob is he did things with incredible integrity,” said Briggs. “He was a really well-respected and liked guy in the harness racing industry.

“Sometimes in horse racing people get into trouble with performance enhancing drugs. That was never Bob’s story. And he always was critical of those who take a shortcut.” 

twilhelm@postmedia.com

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