The famed Aiken Training Track in South Carolina, first opened in 1941, has long been a coveted location for training racehorses during the winter months. Flat and steeplechase horses made Aiken their home in the winter and among the champions who emerged from there include Pleasant Colony, Swale, Forty Niner, Storm Song, and Midshipman.

For dozens of years, Canadians have trained horses on the one-mile track and participated in the annual Aiken Trials, a one-day festival of the horse including trophy races and events. Most notable of the Canadian horsepeople was the late Gustav Schickedanz, whose US winter farm was located nearby. Schickedanz and trainer Mike Keogh and his staff were regular participants in the day’s races which are short dashes for all ages of horses. Schickedanz’s great Canadian Triple crown winner Wando was named the 2003 Aiken Horse of the Year. The races put the spotlight on young horses and exercise riders who are given the opportunity to ride in races.

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