Bonnie Jeanne Rush, 77, dies

Plainville, MA — Bonnie Jeanne Rush of Plainville, Massachusetts, passed away peacefully on Thursday, October 30, 2025 at Southeast Rehabilitation in North Eastern, Massachusetts. She was 77.

Born in Springfield, Ohio in 1948 to Ford Edward Rush Jr. and Barbara Jean Rush, Bonnie Rush was always involved with horses. She grew up in Foxboro, Massachusetts in the shadow of Foxboro Park, and was first introduced to Standardbreds as an 11-year-old at that track. When she got older, she began in the business as a groom and eventually became an owner, trainer, breeder, and a driver of both trotters and pacers.

Ms. Rush’s racing career began in 1970 after she received her provisional license at Suffolk Downs in Boston and started driving at tracks in Maine.

Her first foray onto a major circuit as a full-fledged driver came at Rockingham Park on November 24, 1970 and the event was highly publicized. A New Hampshire newspaper reported that “Harness racing fans will get to see a driver with flowing blonde hair and delicate hands make her debut at Rockingham Park. It will be the first time since Bobbe Huntress and June Dillman thrilled fans a few years ago, that a distaff driver has dared to race against the stronger sex.”

Ms. Rush and her stable made their way to Pocono Downs in 1972, where she set up shop for the meet and started to show the industry how strong she really was. On May 7, she made history at the resort track while driving a pacer named Dino Minbar, who she also owned and trained. Ms. Rush won the eighth race in 2:06.3 and became the first woman ever to win a race at Pocono Downs. The event made national news and was seen in papers across the country.

Another noteworthy win for Ms. Rush came in 1993 at Yonkers Raceway when she won with a pacer she owned and trained named Cast Iron at 117-1 from post eight in 1:57.4 while beating Herve Filion, Ted Wing, Luc Oullette and Walter Case Jr.

Although she traveled much of the eastern part of North America to race during her career, Ms. Rush was always at home in New England and competed at Plainridge Park from the time it opened until 2019 when she stepped away from the business in retirement.

When she did return to Massachusetts, Ms. Rush lived and worked at Idyll River Farm in Plympton, Massachusetts with her partner, Paul Magan. Together they bred, trained and raced their own horses as well as the Idyll River horses.

Trying to assign accurate statistics to Ms. Rush’s career is next to impossible because more than half of it took place prior to 1992, which is not in the USTA data set. But an estimate of her combined training and driving wins would be around 800 with earnings of over $2 million.

During her life, Ms. Rush also owned, trained and successfully competed Quarter Horses in barrel racing, worked for Bing Crosby’s stables, trained Thoroughbreds and was an outrider at tracks in Florida. She also served on the Board of Directors of the Standardbred Owners of Massachusetts and was a member of the Harness Horseman’s Association of New England.

Ms. Rush is survived by her sister Barbara J. Rose and Joseph Rose of Taunton, Massachusetts, a nephew Joshua Rose and his wife Kamala, Deerfield Massachusetts, one niece, Brandy J. Gullens, of Taunton, Massachusetts and her Godchild, Tabitha Gullens of North Eastern, Massachusetts.

Relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend calling hours on Wednesday, November 19, 2025 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Roberts and Sons Funeral Home, 30 South Street in Foxboro, Massachusetts. A memorial service will be held at 6 p.m. at the conclusion of calling hours at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Ms. Rush’s name to: Futures for Standardbreds (futuresforstandardbreds.org),  Standardbred Retirement Foundation (adoptahorse.org), the Standardbred Transition (standardbredtransition.org) or Hospice Care.

By Tim Bojarski for the Standardbred Owners of Massachusetts