40TH CANADIAN HORSE RACING HALL OF FAME
There were plenty of highlights from the Hall of Fame induction ceremony Wednesday evening in Mississauga, ON as 11 horses and humans were presented with honours during the dinner and auction.
BETSY HUNT CURNES, daughter of Nelson Bunker Hunt, was charming when accepting the induction for the great mare DAHLIA, a champion from the early 70s who won the Canadian International at Woodbine.
“My Dad always said she was his favourite redhead,” said Curnes who said that her mother named the great mare by Vaguely Noble.
“There were only 2 racetracks my dad had good things to say about and one of them was Woodbine.”
Curnes went on to tell stories of her parents watching a replays of Dahlia’s Canadian International win and enjoying the moment all over again.
The late DARYL WELLS, SR., the first voice of racing of Woodbine, was inducted to the Hall and his son Daryl accepted the ring.
“How many kids had the opportunity to wake up on a Saturday morning and go with their dad to the racetrack, sit in the announcer’s booth and then meet jockeys like Chris Rogers after the races?” said Wells.
“My Dad always wanted to promote the sport. He would go to all the different sports dinners, like the Conn Smythe dinner, and he always had Sandy Hawley with him.
Duncan Colterjohn spoke about his father, the late DR. MIKE COLTERJOHN, as his Dad was inducted.
“He brought racing to so many people who never thought it was possible to be part of this great sport.”
Indeed. Mike’s biggest role was bringing stallions and mares to Ontario (like Sligo Bay and Oneexcessivenite – who together produced Lexie Lou); he had a great relationship with Adena Springs among other top farms and he built Gardiner Farms into a Sovereign Award winning breeding establishment.
MARK CASSE (photo below) was emotional and a bit nervous as he tanked those who have helped him rise from 8 stalls at Woodbine into one of the biggest operations in North America.
“Tonight has helped me reflect on the so many people who have helped me, so many I could not list them all. I will only name only a few. I have to thank my beautiful wife Tina who has stuck with me through thick and thin. And my family, the lack of vacations, the lack of my attention so I can purse my career. And Mike Anderson, who was with me for 35 years before his death last year. Mitch Downs, Richard Lowe, Kathryn Sullivan, many many others. David Adam, his assistant for 15 years (at Woodbine).”
Casse became overcome with emotion when he talked about his late father Norman and Tina read a statement written by Mark for his father.
JOHN FERGUSON was involved in racing on the Standardbred side and he was also a key figure in starting the Hall of Fame as he wrote the by-laws.
Hockey and horse racing go hand in hand and Ferguson, who won 5 Stanley Cups with Montreal from 1963 to 1971, was a horse racing fan from a young age. He grew up near Hastings Park, did selections and, according to John Ferguson Jr., “our summers were not complete without a trip to Saratoga.”
Ferguson spent 10 years at Blue Bonnets racing and breeding and then was the general manager of Windsor Raceway. His horses won 3 O’Brien Awards.
The CANADIAN HORSE RACING HALL OF FAME has about 450 members now and is heading into a celebration in 2017 of 250 years of horse racing in Canada.
NORM PICOV and his family – QUARTER HORSES recognized in CHRHF
CANADIAN-BRED WINNERS ELSEWHERE
from Thoroughbred Daily News
JULY 30 – 2nd-DMR, $70,345, (C)/Opt. Clm ($80,000), 3yo/up,
1 1/8mT, 1:48.29, fm.
WANSTEAD GARDENS (g, 5, Flower Alley–Vaulcluse {SW}, by
A.P. Indy) Lifetime Record: 16-4-3-1, $215,585. O-Chrys Family
Revocable Trust; B-Eugene Melnyk (ON); T-Neil French.
*$130,000 3yo ’14 FTKHRA. **Full to Lukes Alley, Ch. Older
Horse-Can & GISW, $758,956.
JULY 31 – 6th-SAR, $83,300, Alw, (NW1$X), 3yo/up, 7f (off turf),
1:23.03, sy.
HAMMERS VISION (c, 3, Court Vision–Baytree, by Forestry),
third to Exaggerator (Curlin) in last year=s GII Saratoga Special S.
in his lone other appearance over a dirt track, returned from his
winter’s freshening to finish a good second in a first-level
allowance over seven furlongs of yielding Belmont turf May 7. A
competitive fifth, beaten a length behind Camelot Kitten
(Kitten’s Joy) in the June 4 GIII Pennine Ridge S. at Belmont, he
most recently filled the same spot in Woodbine=s Charlie Barley
S. July 3. The 2.65-1 third choice in this scratched-down field of
five, Hammers Vision won the break, then was content to race in
a joint-second as R Limo Joe (Kantharos) cut out a decent pace.
While Hammers Vision went up to the pacesetter three deep,
main-track-only Ekhlaas (Bernardini) went for a run up the fence
that many riders tried to avoid on the afternoon. The two
hooked up in an enervating stretch duel, with Hammers Vision
coming out on top by a hard-fought half-length. Sales history:
$35,000 RNA Ylg ’14 FTKJUL; $47,000 Ylg ’14 FTKOCT. Lifetime
Record: GSP, 8-2-1-1, $151,324.
O-Terry Hamilton; B-Donver Stable (ON); T-Brian A. Lynch.
