'$60K and 11 wins': London father-daughter duo win major award from Western Fair Raceway

Every morning, Shae Sumner is in the barn taking care of the first horse she’s ever owned.

“This is ‘Ladies from Hell’”, said Shae, standing next to the champion 10-year-old mare that she co-owns with her father, Michael.

“She actually just won ‘Aged Mare of the Year’ award at Western Fair. It’s special because it's our home track.”

The horse had a special 2024, earning 11 victories and making more than $60,000.

Ladies from Hell won 11 times in 2024 en route to winning 2024 Aged Mare of the Year at Western Fair District (Source: Brent Lale/CTV London)

'I've had one ‘Claimer of the Year’ (award) and winning an ‘Aged Mare of the Year’ is really hard to do,” said Michael, a veteran trainer and horseman from London, Ont.

“There (are) good horses that come in from Toronto and ship in from everywhere so it’s not easy.”

Now up to 46 career wins, the Sumners took a horse who had an up-and-down career. She had been a mare in a higher class, went up and back down. They believed they could bring her back up after rehabilitation.

“We paid $8,500 for her and we were hoping for her to get a few cheques to go with the other four or five,” said Michael.

“She's really raced two straight years for us, and she's made in excess of $130,000 on the small tracks, which is just fantastic.”

Ladies from Hell had a health problem, which caused her to miss a year, so expectations were limited coming into 2024.

After a slow start in February, the Sumners believed it was not going to be her year. They thought she was done as a racer and was going to be a breeder.

Shae Sumner takes the wraps off the legs of her horse Ladies from Hell at a barn on Hamilton Rd. in London, Ont (Source: Brent Lale/CTV London)

“Then she just took off and ended up with over $60,000 on her card and 11 wins,” said Michael.

While Michael is listed as the trainer, he gives all the credit to his daughter.

“She took over this horse and made this horse really what she is,” said Michael.

“I had a double-hip operation where I got two titanium hips from years of getting beat up as a driver. I wasn't even here a lot of time, and Shae really took the horse and moved her into the best class in Ontario.”

This week, Ladies from Hell will begin to see what she has in store for an encore.

Michael Sumner takes Ladies from Hell for a ride on their track at Cerro Stables on Hamilton Rd. in London, Ont. on January 5, 2025 (Source: Brent Lale/CTV London)

“She's racing on Wednesday (at Western Fair District) and that'll be her first start as an 11-year-old,” said Shae.

“That's on the older end for horses, as she races against a lot of four and five-year-olds. When she's ready to be retired, we will breed her and she'll be a mom one day, but hopefully she can have another year like last year, then maybe retire.”

Before that happens, she’ll likely have a few more trips to the winner’s circle.