Reaching Goals - Dale Desruisseaux

RACING CORNER

BY JENNIFER MORRISON

At the start of 2025, trainer Dale Desruisseaux made a goal for himself and his stable of Thoroughbreds at Woodbine; he wanted to hit the $1 million (Cdn) mark in purses. It was a sizable goal considering the most horses he had started in previous years was a little over 60 and it had only been just over 10 years since his training career began.

Jeff Bowen photo

But the married father of two from Smithville, Ontario is just about at his goal thanks in part to his trainee Dixie Law collecting the bulk of the $250,000 purse of the Cup & Saucer Stakes for Canadian bred 2-year-olds on Oct. 5.

“For sure it was a big win,” said Desruisseaux, who has sent out 12 winners, matching his previous best total, with plenty of racing remaining this season.

Dixie Law, is a homebred for Garland Williamson and his wife Marie, who have raced horses under their Hillsbrook Farm banner for over 40 years. Desruisseaux trained  his first horses for Williamson in 2023. He also trains for Dominic DiLalla's Centennial Farms Niagara, a partnership of himself and Thomas Sedef and this year received a filly to train for the powerful Chiefswood Stable.

The Chiefswood filly, Piper's Gift, was an eight-length maiden winner on Sept. 20 and, like Dixie Law, has Desruisseaux dreaming of the 2026 Woodbine Oaks.

While Desruisseaux grew up in a family that loved horse racing – his father Allen still trains at Woodbine – his first profession was as pizza restaurant owner when he was 18 years old. But when he bought his first horse when still a teenager and worked his way up the track ranks, it wasn't long before he took out his trainer's license.

That was in 2011 and for a few years, he dabbled in horses he owned himself. By 2017 he began to branch out a bit, succeeding with shrewd claims and then bargain yearling purchases.  He won his first stakes race with the 2-year-old filly Swinging Mandy in 2021, a gal who was later purchased from him and Solo Racing and Sedef's Rustywood Stable.

Desruisseaux has also tried his hand at purchasing a couple of mares through Ontario racing's Mare Purchase Program. He sold his first homebred with Sedef for $120,000 and has weanlings by top, young sires Yaupon and Tiz the Law entered in the upcoming Keeneland November sale.

Dixie Law

Desruisseaux's horses have earned about $927,000 in 2025 and he began the year with about two dozen runners.

“I'm a bit in the middle right now [size-wise}. I probably have to get bigger where I am running a lot of horses every weekend and not just one or two, or, scale down a bit. At this size I don't make any money on day rate, I am just paying the expenses to train someone's horses.”

Desruisseaux, who is always quick to credit his staff of about 10 including Dixie Law's groom Kyle MacDonald and exercise rider  Hannah McLeod, hopes that the filly can do well in her next big assignment, either the Grade 3 Mazarine Stakes or Princess Elizabeth Stakes. He's also excited about about yearlings he bought at the local sale for new clients.

“I would like to continue to attract new owners and have a moderate-sized stable of quality runners. Hopefully we can finish this year having met my goal and continue to improve.”