By Mark Ratzky, publicity - Cal Expo Harness
Longtime owner, breeder and
trainer Harold Merriam has passed away following a brief battle with cancer.
The native of Nova Scotia was 80.
Merriam’s wife Lexie passed
in 1999 and he survived by daughters Cecilia and Sheila and son Essex, along
with four grandchildren and four great grandchildren. He is the uncle
of Pauline Johnson, wife of trainer Bob Johnson.
“It was all of the sudden,”
Sheila explained. “He was very healthy and still training and riding.
He became sick around Thanksgiving and went in for some tests and they
found the lymphoma.”
Bob Johnson was spending a
great deal of time with Harold of late, noting his spirits were still very
high. “Up until very recently he was still training and also riding his beloved
Buckskin Prince on the trails. He was a wonderful person and will be missed.”
When interviewed last year by
Leighton Worthey, Merriam was asked about his favorite memory in racing. “That
would be Almond King,” he said. “He won the Great Western Pace in 1983. It was
Cal Expo’s most valuable race at the time and I remember Lloyd Arnold
presenting the trophy.”
Almond King was a son of
Lumber King who was owned, trained and bred by Merriam. He won 23 of his 77
starts, earned $193,000 and had a 1:55 4/5 lifetime mark.
