Desperate Man, 2021 Canadian Horse of the Year, has retired from the track

January 26, 2026, 11:56 am
Stephanie Zoer

Desperate Man had 89 starts in his career as a pacer, with 33 wins, 15 seconds and 13 third-place winnings.

When Kathy Cecchin talks about her standardbred gelding, Desperate Man (Slick), she beams with pride over what this horse has accomplished in his career.

Kathy Cecchin was raised in the village of Welwyn north of Moosomin. When Cecchin was in her 20s she moved to Arthur, Ontario and she now has a ranch outside of this town.

Cecchin and her husband John own standardbred horses. In 2019 they purchased a yearling named Desperate Man from the Lexington Selected Yearling sale form the Winbak Farm consignment. They wanted his bloodlines and paid $20,000 for the young horse. He was trained by Cecchin and to this day is the only horse she has trained, and she is proud of how Slick turned out.

In 2021 Slick won the Pepsi North America Cup, a prestigious race, driven by Trevor Henry. He beat future hall of famer Bulldog Hanover and two-time Dan Patch Award winner, Perfect Sting. This was going to be the beginning of a great career for the young horse. He was then named 2021 Canadian Horse of the Year.

Slick had 89 races as a pacer, and won 33 of them, placed second in 15 races and came in third for 13 of them. But last September he began to show some discomfort in his walk. He was placed on stall rest right away.

After having his ankle joint x-rayed, they felt he may have taken a bad step, as nothing showed in the x-rays. The discomfort continued with Slick. “He just was not himself,” said Cecchin. They figured maybe he was tired and needed some time off.

Slick was in New York and Cecchin had not seen him for two years. They brought the now seven-year-old gelding home to Arthur, Ontario. “We could not take the chance on racing him and Slick getting hurt,” she said.

Dr. Melissa McKee did further testing, and another series of x-rays called floor scopes were performed, and it was at this time they showed a chip on his ankle that did not appear on the earlier x-rays. According to McKee this chip was causing a great deal of pain in the horse. It also showed that the ankle joint also had significant changes.

Kathy Cecchin, who grew up in Welwyn, is the proud owner of Desperate Man, the 2021 Horse of the Year. He has recently retired from the track.

In order to remove the chip, surgery was needed and this was performed on January 5, 2026, which was done by Dr. Orlaith Cleary at the King Animal Hospital in New Market. Three small incisions were done, two for cameras and one to remove the chip. The surgery itself was not long, but it was a very delicate procedure. The chip was found immediately and removed.

It was also noted that during the surgery, Slick’s cartilage had deteriorated 40 per cent. This was not caused by an injury, it was basic wear and tear on his legs. Slick is not a small horse; he is 17 hands tall and weighs 1352 pounds. Most standardbred horses are around 1,000 pounds.

He is now on the road to recovery. It will require 12 weeks of complete stall rest, only leaving his stall to be cleaned. After this, he may be hand walked for a short period and gradually this will be increased. The overall recuperation time is eight months.

“He is such a positive horse, and he looks great,” said Cecchin. “But his racing days are over, and he will live like royalty on the farm until his last day.”

Slick has earned nearly $2.4 million in his career.

“He is a superstar,” said Cecchin. “He deserves a life without pain and to be pampered.”

Slick, once healed, will enjoy green grass, a warm barn on cool days, and being loved for the rest of his life during his retirement from the track.