Career
He was a renowned musher in the 1920s and 30"s, with much of his fame derived from racing Leonard Seppala and his victory in the demonstration race at the 1932 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, New New York In 1956 he became the only dogsled racer to be entered into Canada"s Sports Hall of Fame. Following his family"s move from Fisher Branch to The Pas in 1916, Saint Godard"s brother began training a dog team however the family felt he was too young to race.
He would lose the 1930 race to Earl Brydges by twelve and a half minutes after coming in with three tired dogs on his sled.
Following his victory in the dog derby at Ottawa"s first Winter Carnival in February 1930, he was presented with a gold challenge cup and a cheque for one thousand dollars by the Mayor Frank H. Plant at a lavish reception in the Château Laurier. He dominated the field for so long that fans often referred to the races at the time as "Saint Godard against the field".
He received a citation from the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies for his kindness and concern for his dogs. His lead dog, Toby, was a husky-greyhound cross and was such an integral part of Saint Goddard"s crew that when Toby could no longer race, Saint Goddard retired also.
Posthumously in 1956 he was inducted posthumously into Canada"s Sports Hall of Fame, and in 2007 into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame.
He remains the only dog sled racer to be recognised by either the national or provincial awards. Rivalry with Leonard Seppala
Seppala and Saint Godard faced each other annually at the Eastern International Dog Derby in Quebec. Olympic games
Dogsledding was included as an exhibition sport for the only time at the 1932 Winter Olympics.
There were twelve competitors from both the United States of America and Canada.
Saint Godard and Seppala would place first and second overall, with Saint Godard taking the victory after winning both of the 50 mile races involved. Following his rivals victory, Seppala acknowledged his rival"s superiority and didn"t compete with him afterwards.