Gilles Blondeau was great for the racing industry

Trois-Rivières, QC – May 10, 2023 – The Quebec horse racing industry has lost one of its greatest builders when Gilles Blondeau passed away recently.

The president and founder of the Optimum Financial Group, working mainly in the insurance and actuarial sectors, Gilles Blondeau was a major player in the turnaround of the paper company Domtar.

Invited to revive the horse racing industry in an ambitious government project in the late 1990s by Bernard Landry, Minister of Economy and Finance, Gilles Blondeau was appointed first as president of the Society of the promotion of the horse racing industry, then of the Society of National Horse Racing when this organization was created.

One of the great legacies of Gilles Blondeau’s mandate was the transformation of the Hippodrome de Montreal track into an international dimension, while the old 5/8^th mile track was converted to 7/8^th mile. The new track could receive world-class competitors and it was then that the Montreal World trotting event took place annually, welcoming the best trotting horses on the planet.

Thus, the great American and European stars Moni Maker and Varenne stepped onto the Montreal track, lifting from their seats the tens of thousands of fans who came to cheer them.

Gilles Blondeau’s great love for racehorses went well beyond our borders. An outstanding breeder, he had facilities in Quebec, United States and even in France, where he was recognized as the owner and breeder of several recipients of important competitions.

In Quebec, the Haras de l’Estrie is a good part of the local equestrian scene and racing fans will remember the horses Ariane du Haras, runner-up of the Hambletonian Oaks in 2001 and winner of more than $400,000 lifetime, Nobel du Haras, winner of the 2007 Breeder’s Cup and Artemis Duharas, named Aged Mare of the Year 2017 at Hippodrome Trois-Rivieres.

Gilles Blondeau was able to breathe new life into a sector of activity that was at an impasse at the time.

The Club Jockey du Québec joins the hundreds of participants who have benefited directly or indirectly from this contribution to offer their most sincere condolences to their spouse, children and friends.

From the Quebec Jockey Club