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HORSEPOWER!

WELCOME to WILLOW RIDGE FARM

From an OPP Aux. Officer of the Year to breeding and selling classy racehorses, Bonnie Rowntree strives to be the best

 

Thoroughblog recently had a chance to interview owner/breeder/CTHS director Bonnie Rowntree from Willow Ridge in Durham, ON during the busy foaling season

 

TB – Where are you from and did you have a horsey family?

BR – I was born in Verdun, Quebec. I grew up there and in the Quebec Laurentians in Laurel. My family did not own horses but I did take riding lessons from a very young age.

TB – You first wanted to be in policing, how did that come about?

BR – When I was young, I wanted to be a Jumper rider and wanted to go to school in the UK (Moat House). As I grew into my teens, I decided I wanted to be a Conservation Officer, but then policing became my goal as I got older.
I have a post secondary education – I completed Law Enforcement at Georgian College with an honours diploma and won he Laurie Tanner Memorial Award (presented to the top Law Enforcement Student who demonstrates, courtesy and respect for their fellow classmates). I became employed by the OPP in 1995 and I left in 2004 to embark on our venture with the horses.

TB – Your pursuit of a career on the horse business began when?

BR – In 1979 [I] moved to Ontario. I began riding at Briar Hall Stables in Oakville under Doug Hood. I met my husband Bill in 1980 and moved up to his family’s horse farm. In 1981 we were married.
Horses have always been a part of Bill’s life as he and his family had more than 30 mares and numerous stallions. We began to get involved in Thoroughbreds after a friend, Merv Kirby, got me interested in the racing business.
Being related to Hall of Fame trainer Gil Rowntree (Bill’s cousin) was also a deciding factor. Gil help us get involved in the business and gave us some advice as he still does today.

TB – When did Willow Ridge Farm start?

BR – Willow Ridge Farm was born in 2002 when we bought our first Thoroughbred mare from Joe McMahon from Saratoga.
The property we owned at that time was full of willow trees and sat on a ridge called vinegar hill. The name just seemed to be a good fit.
Once that first foal was born, we knew this was going to be the first of many.

TB – Owner/breeder George Farr had a lot to do with the beginnings of your business, when did you meet him?
BR –  I met George in 2003. He was looking to sell some mares and he was also a man who would be willing to help me start up in the business by allowing me to buy mares from him and pay over time, which was perfect for me.
In 2003 George let me raise his Five Star Day filly so that my Millions colt could have a buddy. The first mare I purchased from George was the Dajur mare, Win Du Jour. The mare went through the CTHS Mixed sale to dissolve a partnership and at that point George and I now owned her together. The mare was in foal to Bold Executive which was to be a very good thing for us. At the same sale, we also bought the mare Early Delivery for $2,400, also in foal to Bold Executive.
In 2004, both mares gave birth to beautiful fillies, our future.

TB – Tell us about your first experience at the yearling sales.
BR –  Bill and I had never prepped, or sold at any sale ever. So this was very scary for us. But we did it and the payoff was life changing.
When Win Du Jour’s filly made the select sale, while Early Delivery’s filly made the open sale.  When we arrived at the sales ground we were so nervous as we knew nothing.  But later that week would prove to be what all the hard work was for.
Win Du Jour’s filly sold to Jim and Alice Sapara for a whopping $62,000.00 the highest priced Bold Executive filly that year.
Then a few days later Early Delivery’s filly sold in the open session for a whopping $44,000, the second highest priced yearling in that session. These two fillies helped us buy the farm we currently are fortunate enough to call Willow Ridge Farm.

 

 

 

TB – Tell us a bit more about the day-to-day business at Willow Ridge.

BR – During our busy season, when the track closes, we usually have 30 horses here. That’s counting our own mares and yearlings.  We own four mares (see below) on our own and we are partners on two others.
Willow Ridge is a 100 acre farm with a big, new 50 x 100 coverall with 17 new 12 x 12 stalls.  The barn went up in 2010.  The farm also has a 35-acre lake which is wonderful.  We also rent another 100 acre farm across the road.  That barn has 18 stalls.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TB – The end of the slots program has done a lot of damage to breeding farms in the province. How were you and Bill affected?
BR – We did have three people employed until the Government stepped in and basically ruined what we had taken years to build.  We lost all of our American clients and 3 of our Canadian clients slashed their broodmare band to only a couple each.  Now we have one person come in three days a week for four hours to help a little.

 

TB – You are well known for your eye for a broodmare prospect and for selecting stallions for them. Last year one of your former mares had a starter in the Kentucky Derby, that must have been cool.

BR – 9. Some of the things I am very proud of are picking/buying mares (a very limited number) which have gone on to produce Kentucky Derby runners/contenders, such as Sea Dragoness.
Sea Dragoness is by Sea Hero. She produced the good Ontario bred allowance filly Lemon Splash at Willow Ridge before she went to the United States. Her foal of 2010, Falling Sky, was in the Derby last year and is a multiple stakes winner.

I am also very proud of helping select stallions for George Farr’s personal mares that have brought him hundreds of thousands of dollars in return.
It’s been a real roller coaster ride since then, with many highs and many lows.
In a very short time with very limited numbers I have bred, raised or sold 14 stakes horses, five stakes winners as well as two Graded Stakes placed horses. Black Hornet (Woodbine stakes winner bred by Roger Fortier) being the latest.
The things I am the MOST proud of is in our ability to do all of these things on a very limited budget, with honesty and integrity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TB – What is your goal for Willow Ridge in the future. What are you looking forward to?

BR – The goal of Willow Ridge today is to just try and survive.  It seemed like when things were just going along great, we decided to build a new barn and invest over $120,000 and then the provincial government made the [slots] announcement that made everything come crashing down.  Today we are day to day, trying to work very hard and keep our costs down to help our clients.  We have awesome clients who have stuck by us and we are forever grateful for them.

In 2014 I am looking forward to a better Industry relationship with the government so we can carry on doing what we love to do.  I am hoping to see some new programs to help breeders coming from the CTHS which I am a director.  I feel that 2014 will be a good year as it is the Year of the Horse.

 

 

**WILLOW RIDGE MARES:**

Teresita ( 2002 ) – by Deputy Minister who was originally a $750,000 yearling purchase.  She has produced a stakes place filly so far (Summer Proud).
She has a beautiful Court Vision yearling and is going to be bred to Stormy Atlantic.

D’Wild Lady ( 2005 ) – Stakes placed by D’wildcat in foal to Where’s the Ring, perhaps going to Badge of Silver We sold a beautiful Peaks and Valleys yearling out of her last year for $26,000 in the open session.

Miss Rudy Pants ( 2004 ) – Winning mare by Bold Executive.  Full sister to Regal ‘N Bold. She just had a very nice Court Vision filly, booked to Giant Gizmo.  We sold her Trajectory yearling last year for $18,000 in the select session.

Hold the Starch ( 2005 ) – by Rahy.  She is 1/2 to SNEAKY QUIET, Grade 1 Stakes filly who placed in the Kentucky Oaks.  She has a Mike Fox yearling and is in foal to Mike Fox, she is booked to Badge of Silver as her full sister has a stakes horse by Badge of Silver.

 

 

 

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