Page 15 - March 2019 Thoroughbred Highlight

working for Maclean and travelled back to Woodbine with that stable.
It was then that Linda began exercising horses for Dave in the sand ring and the eld at Woodbine.
For the next three years Linda continued working at Woodbine and Payson Park and her
schedule didn’t allow for much
more than sketching and the
she was back at the track again this time hoping to race horses of her own.
Building a barn and paddocks on her family’s home property in Milton in 1999, Maggie’s Arrow, an unraced Thoroughbred mare, was the rst horse Linda purchased followed by a
occasional oil pastel portraits of the horses.
Linda attempted to go back to school after being accepted at the University of Guelph for Biology. While hearkening to the encouragement from her parents to stay in school, the calling of the horses was too strong for Linda.
Putting her studies on hold Linda went to work for Dan Mooney at Huntington Stud Farm doing night watch during the winter foaling months. Come Spring Linda was back at Woodbine, this time grooming for Sovereign Award winning trainer Bill Marko, best known for his training and part ownership of millionaire Frost King.
At age 21, Linda realized that her shyness would likely keep her from advancing to training at the racetrack and she oundered for a while until Maggie came along.
Linda at her home studio with an oil on linen painting still in progress on her easel.
Photo right: Her painting “Pause”
Thoroughbred yearling who unfortunately didn’t get to the races. Her third purchase was the mare Hallowed Be. Linda bred her to Tejabo and the pairing’s resulting foal is Entertainingangels (a.k.a. Java Monster) who, despite Linda’s hopes that he was the one to get to the races, didn’t race and today at age 19 still resides with her today.
During this time Linda continued with commissioned portraits and would show samples of her work at various local shows. It was at such
a show in Milton in 2005 that Linda met Tony Coombes and Diane Murphy. While chatting about her horse portraits Linda learned that the couple, who owned horses running at Emerald Downs, were looking for a trainer at Woodbine.
A few years back Theresa Sauren, who was working for trainer Marty Wansborogh, had introduced Linda to up and coming trainer Lorna Perkins. Linda recommended Lorna
to the couple who owned
a medical equipment sales company and ran their horses under the name UN Stable.
UN stable was on a roll
with horses such as Stardust Ziggy and Medidocihospisurg and eventually the Coombes were purchasing yearlings and buying mares, boarding them
Maggie was Linda’s rst
dog, a Border Collie who
gave her a new pursuit
as trainer for competitive
obedience dogs as well as
home obedience and puppy
training. For the next 15
years Linda owned her own
training business taking on
problem dogs and puppies
and teaching owners how to handle their dogs.
As an artist her subjects naturally expanded to include dog portraits receiving numerous commissions from her dog owning clients.
But the horses continued to call.
In 1999 Linda went back to school for Biochemistry and obtained a degree in food science. She eventually began working for Smuckers Foods in their product development branch located near Woodbine Racetrack. It wasn’t long before
Linda is a big supporter of LongRun Thoroughbred Retirement Society and works to helps other misplaced Thoroughbreds nd loving homes.
with Linda in Milton.
Sadly Tony passed away in March 2014 after a lengthy illness
and the couple’s last homebred, two year old colt AJC’s Passion (named for Tony), tragically died last Spring.
Today, at age 52, Linda has returned to painting full time and
is keeping active with commissioned oil portraits for clients. Looking out her studio window she has a herd of horses to inspire her as an artist and to satisfy her ever present passion for horses. LindaShantz.com
Thoroughbred Highlight, March 2019, Page 15