A little more than a year ago, on the day that FORESTER’S FORTUNE’s would go out and win an allowance race at Woodbine, Claudia Silvera and her six children were finally able to lay Laurie Silvera to rest right where he wanted to be.

On August 1, 2021, Claudia and her family and friends gathered at Woodbine racetrack to spread her late husband’s ashes on the turf course, a ceremony delayed by more than 16 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Laurie, or ‘Sir’ Laurie’ as most horsepeople knew him, passed away in March 2020 at the age of 89. With over 1,000 training victories and hundreds of shrewd horse purchases and sales, Laurie was one of Canada’s top horsepeople for four decades.

On Saturday, September 3, Forester’s Fortune, one of the last horses purchased by Laurie for himself and close friend Archie Lee, emerged from traffic chaos to win the $150,000 Vice Regent Stakes over the inner turf at Woodbine in dramatic fashion. Claudia and Lee celebrated in the winner’s circle with family and friends, including trainer Rodney Barrow.

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