Winston Trim, a Dreamer & a Doer

Author's Note: Last spring, I wrote a tribute to Winston Trim in the TDN titled “The Man You'll Never Know, But Should” in an effort to spread his legacy and inspiring story to the international racing community. Trim is a lifelong horseman from the island of St. Lucia and his tireless efforts to bring horse racing to his country will soon be rewarded when the nation's first racetrack opens next year. Below is another tribute to the man who changed my life and many others to commemorate the one-year anniversary of his passing and provide further detail on how he brought his racing dreams to life.

I've had the privilege of visiting the Caribbean nation of St. Lucia several times and it is very rare that I come across someone who does not know, or has not at least heard of, Winston Trim. For those of us who knew Winston, this is not surprising as he was truly larger than life. He was outgoing, dynamic, persistent, smart, hard-working and extremely passionate. Exactly one year ago today on Mar. 26, 2017, we lost this great St. Lucian visionary, but his legacy lives on and is really just getting started.

As a turf writer and avid racing fan, I will soon have another reason to visit St. Lucia as Winston's passion is poised to change his homeland for the better with the creation of St. Lucia's first ever racetrack, the Royal St. Lucia Turf Club, which is part of a larger tourism project known as the Pearl of the Caribbean. A born and bred horseman, Winston's lifelong dream was to bring horse racing to his country through the creation of a modern racetrack. It was a dream he spoke about to my father from the day they met 33 years ago when Winston was just 18-years-old, and he worked tirelessly on bringing this dream to life every day since.

“We were born in horses and wherever we went we would find horses. We have horse blood in our veins,” said Winston's brother Kirley Trim. “Racing was something we always had a passion for and I'm hoping to see it take off. Winston was working to make this happen for us all. I am waiting patiently and will push in any way I can to make it happen. It needs to happen. It will occupy a lot of young people and keep them out of trouble.”

Winston's dream was not just for him as a horseman and lover of racing. It was a dream that would benefit his entire country by increasing the island's connection with larger nations like the U.S. and China, as well as providing education, training and jobs, not just in racing, but in related fields, such as hospitality, tourism, etc.

“This project was not just my Dad's lifelong dream because he loved horses, it was his dream because he was bringing what he experienced in the United States back to his home,” Winston's son, Winston Trim, Jr., said. “He worked to build a racetrack that would not only rival those around the world, but would be a place for the people of St. Lucia to have opportunity and inspiration. It didn't matter to him what his job there would be or how much money he would make, just that there would finally be a major horse racing track in St. Lucia. And I say finally because it was a goal that started from his own father, who built tracks on the island that had the right idea, but did not have my Dad's energy behind them.”

Winston and my father were best friends and in January 2016, on a family trip to St. Lucia, he told me about a turning point in his quest to bring his dream to life. He had garnered the full support of not only the government, which at the time was being led by Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony and the St. Lucia Labour Party, but also of Teo Ah Khing of the China Horse Club, which meant his lifelong project was finally starting to take off. As an American turf writer, I was very impressed by this update as the China Horse Club was making headlines worldwide for their numerous accomplishments and rapid rise in all facets of the international horse racing industry.

“Our group first got to really know the man who was to be so instrumental in bringing us to St Lucia during a fact finding visit in early 2015,” Teo said of Winston. “We were invited to St. Lucia and connected to then Prime Minister, the Honourable Kenny Anthony, and to Invest St. Lucia through Winston. I didn't know much about St. Lucia before this visit, aside from hearing of its natural beauty and engaging people, but that first visit was enough to encourage our group to look more seriously at whether there would be opportunities here in St Lucia we could explore and if, in turn, we could make a contribution to St. Lucia as well. We are not in business for the sake of business alone.”

Anyone who knew Winston, knew he was nothing if not determined, and from that initial meeting on, he went above and beyond to keep the government and DSH Caribbean Star Limited, which is Teo's team overseeing the St. Lucia project, connected and moving forward on the island's first racetrack.

“Winston was very proud of his country and understood the bigger picture of what St. Lucia can become if you can marry public support with international investment,” Teo said. “As we became closer with Winston, his passion for horses and horse racing became even more apparent. His desire for St. Lucia to have a horse industry was very clear, but it was not his alone.”

Winston's passion for horses and especially for the racetrack project was nothing short of contagious, and that enthusiasm was shared by PM Anthony's government and the DSH Caribbean Star Limited team. Winston's passion was also a major part of why Teo decided to pursue the project.

“Winston was a man with a dream and that dream was infectious,” Teo said. “He helped convince us that St. Lucians have a passion for horses. But more than that, Winston was a man of integrity and a vital link to helping us move beyond the political rhetoric and better understand the needs and wants of the people of St. Lucia.”

In June of 2016, a new Prime Minister, Allen Chastanet of the United Workers Party, was elected. Luckily for Winston, Teo and the team, the new government also supported their plans, not only for the racetrack, but for the larger Pearl of the Caribbean project, which had grown beyond even Winston's wildest dreams to include a casino, cruise ship ports, marina, hotels, waterfront villas and much more.

“When we first began to speak about this project as a new government, Winston Trim was at the forefront with the developers explaining the prospects for St. Lucia and the history behind the project,” PM Chastanet said. “I was struck by his passion for the racetrack. He put his heart and soul into it. It was his dream to see this project finally materialize and he wasn't just enthusiastic with his words. He also did the footwork. He went the extra mile. He was always available to answer questions and he was a wealth of information because of his background in racing and his travels. Even when we seemingly faced challenges with the project, he was eager to speak about what we could do to fix it. He would go from ministry to ministry speaking to whoever he had to in order to get things moving.”

PM Chastanet added, “Trim believed in this project. He joined the team in our public consultation exercises around the island and was especially enthused about the opportunities that the racetrack would bring to the young people of St. Lucia. He knew better than all of us the immediate and long-term benefits of the track.”

Winston not only reached out to the St. Lucian people for assistance and to spread awareness about the project, but he also went abroad to assemble the right team to ensure racing's success in the country. Back in 1994, he reached out to David Loregnard, who was assistant secretary at the Trinidad and Tobago Racing Authority at the time, about bringing him in to help set up the infrastructure of the racetrack. Loregnard admits he did not take him very seriously at the time, but 22 years later he was part of a select group invited for the track's sod turning ceremony, which also included HRH Prince Harry of Wales.

“Winston engaged you with his first words and had a captivating spirit,” Loregnard said. “He knew what he wanted, a modern racetrack for St. Lucia and for me to run it alongside him, and went after it. He said this in 1994 and never lost sight of it. He was passionate about horses and racing and looked forward to the day when the track was operational.”

Unfortunately, Winston will not be in attendance in February when the racetrack he spent his whole life dreaming about officially opens, but Teo, his team, PM Chastanet and Winston's family and friends will ensure that his legacy lives on.

“Trim's sudden death hit all of us very hard, partly because he was such a great motivator of why we needed to get the racetrack done,” PM Chastanet said. “I am not going to let that spirit he had for this racetrack die. I made a promise that we will finish what he started and I plan to keep that promise. Winston never waved a white flag. He never gave up. Why should we? We are driven now more than ever to build this racetrack for Winston.”

PM Chastanet added, “We definitely want to ensure that he is remembered in a meaningful way and we will ensure that there is a lasting tribute to Winston at the facility, so every St. Lucian knows his name. I believe, however, the first way we can honor him, is by building this facility and making it a success.”

For Teo, Winston's passing was a big loss both personally and professionally.

“I speak on behalf of our entire team when I say that we were shocked and deeply saddened by Winston's loss,” Teo said. “He was very much a part of this project and his passing was taken very hard, especially by our team who worked with him daily in St. Lucia. Personally, I think about him often, especially whenever I return to St. Lucia. Winston was my point of contact and the pulse that helped me better understand the country. He was also a friend.”

As for plans to honor Winston at the racetrack, Teo said, “No one in St. Lucia is in any doubt that it was Winston's energy to bring horse racing to the island that has been the fuel for the creation of the Royal St. Lucia Turf Club. It is our intention to ensure future generations remain aware of his legacy by honoring him every year at our feature race in February on Independence Day.”

Winston Trim was a man who was not afraid to dream big and, more importantly, go after those dreams with everything he had. I hope that, in addition to the people of St. Lucia, all of the international racing community will be inspired by his story and support his legacy as Winston's dream was for his country to thrive. In bringing this racetrack and everything that has spawned from it to St. Lucia, he not only changed his own life, but also offered every St. Lucian, and anyone else who wants to be involved, a chance to change their lives as well and pursue dreams bigger than they had ever imagined before.