Justin Stein is this year’s recipient to be honoured on the Wall of Distinction at Barriere Secondary School (BSS).
BSS principal Ken Rife, announced the recipient during the 2014 Graduation Ceremonies for the school.
Since his graduation from BSS in 1999, Justin has become a world famous jockey, chalking up over 889 wins including the prestigious Queens Plate, and has made over $37 million dollars in career purse earnings.
Unfortunately, Justin was unable to attend the event due to race commitments in Toronto.
Rife said, “Justin was extremely honoured when I gave him the news, and he wanted me to pass on his thanks and gratitude to the committee.”
A short video was then shown that the recipient had put together, speaking to the grad class from Woodbine Race Track in Toronto, Justin told them the three things to his success was “work hard, family, and faith”.
Justin Stein is no stranger to Barriere. The 34-year-old jockey grew up in the North Thompson Valley community, and after graduation left Barriere in 2004, to follow a career as a jockey, he started riding at Hasting Park in Vancouver. Within 12 months he was on top in the jockey standings for that track, and continued to be at the top of his game over the next few years.
In that year he and his family made the move across Canada so he could ride at the Woodbine Race track in Toronto; and his success continued, and grew.
Stein, now a jockey at Woodbine in Toronto, won the prestigious 2012 Queen’s Plate riding Strait of Dover, in an exciting race that he led from wire-to-wire, and set a track record as well.
This hometown young man is quickly carving himself a place in the history of Canadian Thoroughbred horse racing. In 2005, Stein was named as a finalist for both the 2005 Sovereign Award (Canada’s Top Apprentice) and the Eclipse Award (North America’s Top Apprentice). His 23 per cent win average was the tenth best in all of North America.
Stein, and his wife, Renee (also from Barriere), now reside in the Woodbine area with their young family. The couple say their faith, and love for everything horses brought them together and has kept them even closer ever since.