Emile St. Godard (15 August 1905 - 26 March 1948) was a

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dog The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...

musher Mushing is a sport or transport method powered by dogs. It includes carting, pulka, dog scootering, sled dog racing, skijoring, freighting, and weight pulling. More specifically, it implies the use of one or more dogs to pull a sled, most commonly ...

and dog sled racer from

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. He was a renowned musher in the 1920s and 1930s, with much of his fame derived from racing Leonard Seppala and his victory in the demonstration race at the

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at Lake Placid,

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. In 1956 he became the only dog sled racer to be entered into

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Racing career

Following his family's move from Fisher Branch to

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in 1916, St. Godard's brother began training a dog team however the family felt he was too young to race. In 1924 he won his first race, around the streets of his home town. St. Godard's first major win was The Pas Dog Derby in 1925, which was one of the world's premier dog sled races during this period. He won this race five times in a row until 1929. He would lose the 1930 race to

Earl Brydges Earl William Brydges (May 25, 1905 – March 30, 1975) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. He was Temporary President and Majority Leader of the State Senate from 1966 to 1972. Early life Earl William Brydges was born on May 2 ...

by twelve and a half minutes after coming in with three tired dogs on his sled. Following his victory in the dog derby at

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's first Winter Carnival in February 1930, he was presented with a gold challenge cup and a cheque for one thousand dollars by

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at a lavish reception in the

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. He dominated the field for so long that fans often referred to the races at the time as "St. Godard against the field". He received a citation from the

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for his kindness and concern for his dogs. His lead dog, Toby, was a husky-greyhound cross and was such an integral part of St. Goddard's crew that when Toby could no longer race, St. Goddard retired also. Posthumously in 1956 he was inducted posthumously into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, and in 2007 into the

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. He remains the only dog sled racer to be recognised by either the national or provincial awards.

Rivalry with Leonard Seppala

Seppala and St. Godard faced each other annually at the Eastern International Dog Derby in

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. Over six years, St. Godard would win the race four times, and Seppala twice. The duo also faced off in a variety of other races over the years, during which St. Godard won the majority of the races.

Olympic games

Dog sledding was included as an exhibition sport at the 1932 Winter Olympics. There were twelve competitors from both the United States and Canada. St. Godard and Seppala would place first and second overall, with St. Godard taking the victory after winning both of the 50-mile races involved. Following his rival's victory, Seppala acknowledged his rival's superiority and didn't compete with him afterwards.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:St. Godard, Emile Canadian dog mushers Sled dog racers at the 1932 Winter Olympics Olympic sled dog racers of Canada Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame inductees 1905 births 1948 deaths