Hall of Fame owner/breeder and titan of the British Columbia horse racing industry John Glendon "Glen" Todd has died, according to social media posts from Hastings Racecourse and the B.C. Sports of Hall of Fame. Todd was 75.
A native of British Columbia, Todd had been involved in Thoroughbred racing for more than 50 years. His parents met at Hastings Racecourse in the late 1930s, according to Feb. 26, 2020, feature published by Canadian Thoroughbred. When he was 16, Todd worked as a writer and handicapper for a local newspaper and owned his first racehorse in his early 20s.
In 2007, Todd started an ownership group called North American Thoroughbred Horse Co. and throughout his involvement in racing has been a tireless supporter and promoter.
"Glen was not only an industry builder, he was an industry savior in so many respects," said Tom Mayenknecht, chair of the British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame board of directors, on Twitter. "He laid many of the bricks that sustained @hastingsraces for decades. He is a cherished BC Sports Hall of Famer. On behalf of the Board of Trustees & management team of @BCSportsHall, RIP Glen."
Hastings Racecourse, in Vancouver, said on Twitter that Todd's "passion and commitment to the industry was unparalleled and will be sorely missed." The track said it was planning to commemorate Todd's contributions in a manner "befitting of his almost 60-year legacy to the Thoroughbred industry."
Todd's professional career was with the family-founded and run export trading companies PCB Custom Brokers and ABC Customs Brokers. These specialized international trade companies were founded by his father John Cyril "Jack" Todd. Glen Todd took the companies' reins in 1981.
As a Thoroughbred owner, Todd campaigned 49 black-type winners just since 2006 in the name of North American Thoroughbred Horse Co. and in his own name with partners. These stakes winners include graded stakes winners Commander, a two-time winner of the BC Premier's Handicap (G3) in 2012-13; British Columbia Derby (G3) winners Sorryaboutnothing (2016) and Five Star General (2019); Taylor Said, who won the Longacres Mile Handicap (G3); Holy Nova, who won the Ballerina Handicap (G3); and, Sir Gallovic, who won the BC Premier's Handicap in 2008.
Graded stakes victories with Taylor Said and the Longacres Mile were particularly sweet because jockey Mario Gutierrez was in the saddle. Gutierrez began riding for Todd when he moved from Mexico to Canada and showed such promise that Todd became a mentor.
After winning the 2019 British Columbia Derby, Todd said it was "the best day for me personally in 50 years in the racing business."
Gutierrez lived in Todd's house for a couple of years while he got his career going. Todd later helped the jockey get his start in highly competitive Southern California when he realized that's where the rider belonged.
"I literally delivered him to Santa Anita in 2012 and told him not to come back," Todd recalled back in 2019. "He shed some tears and asked me why I was trying to get rid of him. It was quite emotional for both of us but I explained it was his gain and my loss."
Gutierrez would go on to win the Kentucky Derby (G1) in 2012 with I'll Have Another and with Nyquist in 2016.
Todd's commitment to British Columbia racing became most evident in 2021 when he provided Hastings with a $1 million interest-free loan to fund purses and the keep the track running as it struggled to recover from the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"People were getting desperate, we were going to have to lay all these people off, they had nowhere to go with their horses," Todd, told the Vancouver Sun in July 2021. "It's a million dollars to get another month of racing at Hastings, hopefully with casinos open now wagering will increase and we can get back to some sense of normalcy."
Todd also served on the the B.C. Horse Racing Industry Management Committee, created in 2009 by the British Columbia Ministry of Housing and Social Development to develop new marketing strategies and increase revenue from horse racing, which at the time generated more than $190 million annually in gross provincial revenue and employed approximately 3,600 people with thousands of addition agriculture jobs connected indirectly.
Besides earning a place in British Columbia's British Columbia Horse Racing Hall of Fame, Todd was also inducted into the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame as a builder in softball. Todd began as a coach in the South Surrey/White Rock Minor Softball Association. A few years later as association president Todd expanded the association from 11 to 110 teams. In 1993, Todd created the Canada Cup international tournament to give the national team an opportunity to compete against the world's best in softball. The Canada Cup is now considered one of the sport's premier international tournaments.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
