HASTINGS Longtime steward Russell retiring

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – After a lifetime of racing, Wayne Russell will call it a career following the last race at Hastings on Monday. Russell, who literally grew up at the track, has been a steward at Hastings for the last 20 years.

“I am going to be a bit choked up after the last race Monday,” he said. “The time has come to move on, but I have had a great life at the track and will miss it.”

Russell, 74, grew up at Hastings, and as a youngster was hoping to keep the family tradition going by being a jockey. Both his father, Jackie Russell Jr., and grandfather, Jackie Russell, were riders. His father also was inducted into the British Columbia Horse Racing Hall of Fame as a trainer in 1988. Wayne Russell was alongside his father when he died fighting a barn fire that ravaged Hastings in 1969.

“He had a heart attack and died on the way to the hospital,” said Russell. “I would have loved to have been a jockey, but I knew pretty early I was going to be too heavy. I didn’t really want to be an exercise rider, so I headed in another direction and started working for the association. My first job was on the starting gate. I also worked as a paddock judge and patrol judge for a number of years.”

Russell was the head starter before he started his long stint as a steward in 2000.

“I didn’t have any training, but one day Joe Horton, the head steward at the time, told me I was hired,” said Russell. “I was a bit surprised because I hadn’t really applied for the job.”

Russell said he struggled for the first couple of years as a steward. He found it emotionally challenging to make rulings on people he had known for a long time.

“Most of them were my friends, and I wasn’t sure how I would react when I had to make decisions that could have a big effect on their lives,” he said. “But it all changed after Tom Longstaff straightened me out. We had gone to school together, and he was one of my best friends. When one of his horses got a positive test, we had to suspend him. He told me he knew he did wrong but was glad to have me involved in making the ruling. He said he felt great sitting across from me because I understood the situation and that I would treat him fairly. I’ve tried to do that my whole career.”

After Monday, Russell will be busy for the next few months working as a barrel judge for the World Professional Chuckwagon Circuit.

“I’ve been a part-time barrel judge for the past 12 years,” he said. “It’s a lot of fun, and I am looking forward to it.”

When he’s done with that in late August, there is a good chance we will see a lot of him at Hastings, partly because his son Corky is an exercise rider and custodian of the Jockeys’ room. Corky’s wife, Lisa, is the head clocker, and their son Jack is also a part-time clocker.

“It’s been a real family affair,” said Wayne Russell. “My wife, Barb, worked on the admission gates for a long time until they quit charging admission. My granddad also worked as a paddock judge.”

Barb is the niece of former trainer Lou Hammond.

Another reason Russell won’t be a stranger to those at the track is his love for horse racing.

“I’ve been so lucky and blessed to be able to work at something I love,” he said. “It didn’t matter how stressful the situation, I came to work every day with a smile on my face. I’ve had so much fun that I have it in the back of my mind to buy a horse and get a trainer’s license.”