A Tradition He Helped Build: Celebrating Rennie Gellner at the 30th Alberta Breeders’ Fall Classic

A Tradition He Helped Build

Celebrating Rennie Gellner and the 30th Alberta Breeders’ Fall Classic

For almost four decades, Rennie Gellner was a familiar and respected presence in Alberta’s Thoroughbred community—a horseman, industry leader and advocate whose belief in the Alberta-bred Thoroughbred helped shape programs and traditions that continue today. His passing at the age of 90 on July 31, 2026, in Cranbrook, B.C., marked the loss of a man whose connection to horses and racing spanned more than half a century.

At the heart of Rennie’s contribution was a genuine desire to see Alberta’s breeders, owners and horses succeed. As General Manager of the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society (Alberta Division) from 1988 through 2007, he spent nearly 20 years working on their behalf, developing programs, building relationships and promoting Alberta-breds both at home and beyond the province. His influence can still be seen throughout the industry he devoted so much of his life to supporting.

His philosophy was particularly evident in an interview in 2000, when Rennie spoke about the challenges facing smaller breeders following changes within the racing industry.

“I believe the racing industry has changed a great deal with the introduction of VLTs and it has become more difficult for the small breeder to compete in the industry,” Rennie said. “As a result, one of my goals is to try and make things a little better for the small breeder.”

It was a goal reflected throughout his years with the CTHS.

Among the initiatives developed during Rennie’s tenure were the Mare Purchase Program and Stallion Bonus Program, designed to encourage investment in Alberta breeding and strengthen the province’s Thoroughbred population. Rennie also promoted the concept of the different sectors of Alberta’s racing industry “working together,” helping to lay the foundation and business plan for what would eventually become Horse Racing Alberta.

One of the most enduring and visible examples of his legacy is the Alberta Breeders’ Fall Classic.

Building the Alberta Breeders’ Fall Classic

The idea for the Fall Classic originated through discussions between four Alberta racing leaders: Les Butler, Race Manager at Northlands; Jim Thompson, President of the CTHS; John Fowlis, Race Manager at Stampede Park; and Rennie, as General Manager of CTHS Alberta. Together, they envisioned a special race day devoted to showcasing and celebrating the Alberta-bred Thoroughbred.

That vision became reality on September 27, 1997, when the inaugural Alberta Fall Classic was held at Northlands Park in Edmonton on what contemporary accounts described as “a somewhat blustery fall day.”

Seven stakes races for Alberta-breds offered more than $300,000 in purses. Established races including the Alberta Premier’s Futurity, Sturgeon River Stakes, Alberta Oaks and Beaufort Stakes were brought together with three new races—the Alberta Breeders’ Stakes, Fall Classic Distaff Stakes and Red Diamond Express Stakes—to create a showcase devoted to horses bred in the province.

Nearly three decades later, the Alberta Breeders’ Fall Classic remains an important part of Alberta’s racing calendar. The racetracks and circumstances have changed, but its original purpose remains: to celebrate the Alberta-bred Thoroughbred and the breeders, owners and horsepeople behind them.

From Saskatchewan Farm Roots to Thoroughbred Racing

Long before Thoroughbreds became such an important part of his life, Rennie’s roots were firmly planted on the Prairies. Born on the family farm near Southey, Saskatchewan, on November 5, 1935, he was the youngest of 15 children. Horses were part of his life from the beginning and his wife, Heather, remembers Rennie’s father still farming with work horses before tractors eventually replaced them.

Rennie also developed a passion for hockey. He spent countless hours skating on the family farm dugout and, as a young man, played with the Regina Pats B Division. His love of hockey continued into adulthood through old-timers teams.



His introduction to the Thoroughbred industry came in 1968, when he went to work at Canadiana Farm Stables on the outskirts of south Calgary. When Calgary’s expansion prompted the farm to relocate outside Airdrie in 1971, Rennie continued with the operation and eventually managed the farm.

His work with Canadiana took him to horse sales in Kentucky, Florida, California and Ireland and to racetracks in Florida and California. His connections in Kentucky also introduced him to racing at Keeneland, which Heather remembers he particularly enjoyed. Well-known Irish trainer Tommy Doyle became a good friend and someone from whom Rennie learned a great deal.

During his years at Canadiana, Rennie and owner Mr. von Maffei achieved a notable milestone when two yearling fillies were sold for prices unprecedented in Alberta and Western Canada at the time—a Buckpasser filly for $108,000 and a Graustark filly for $80,000.

In 1979, Rennie and Heather, moved their family to the Edmonton area, where Rennie took over management of Elmbrook Farms, a large Thoroughbred operation near Gibbons. During breeding season, Elmbrook often had more than 100 horses on the farm under Rennie’s care. Managing the horses and a staff of five or six was a seven-day-a-week responsibility, leaving little time for Rennie to attend the races himself.

It was during his years at Elmbrook that Rennie’s involvement with the CTHS Alberta Division grew. He was elected to the Board of Directors and, in 1988, became the organization’s General Manager.

For nearly the next 20 years, Rennie became one of the most familiar faces of the CTHS Alberta and a tireless promoter of the Alberta-bred Thoroughbred, both within the province and beyond.