Dave Landry photo of Bear No Joke and Danny Dion, the Bear
A Feel Good Story about the Three Bears
It took Danny Dion less than a hour before post time of Woodbine’s fourth race on Saturday August 6 to decide that he wanted to do something for one of his former racehorses.
Dion, king of Bear Stables and one of Canada’s leading owners in the last decade, was in the midst of whirlwind week with his numerous duties at his Bear Slashing Company in Alberta taking him out of the country and back. His stable is not as big as it once was as he has trimmed down his horse family but when he picked up a program for Saturday’s races, he saw Bear No Joke, a graded stakes winner of over $600,000 entered for $30,000 claiming.
The 8-year-old gelding, an $82,000 yearling purchase by Dion seven years ago, was claimed away from Dion and his trainer Reade Baker in the spring for $40,000 but off a good run for $62,500 claiming in a previous race, was taking quite an abrupt drop. Dion quickly made a call to Baker to get him to put in a claim for the speedy grey gelding.
“As soon as I saw he was in for $30,000, I got the idea,” said Dion. “He always gave it his all that horse, all the time. I made a few dollars with him and I just felt sorry for him.”
Between Baker and Dion’s other trainer Mike DePaulo, a claim slip was put in for the gelding. But it was not the only one. Two other interested parties were ready to take over the ownership of the son of It’s No Joke – Nithi, who was born in January 2008 to breeders Richard and Jo Ellen Shaw.
A “shake” was done, and Dion’s name was drawn.
“Someone was looking out for us,” said Dion. “I just wanted to claim him to retire him, it was the right thing to do.”
Meanwhile, one of the Bear No Joke’s biggest fans, jockey Emma-Jayne Wilson was thrilled that the fellow she guided to big wins such as the Grade 2 Kennedy Road Stakes in November 2013, had been re-claimed by ‘the Bear’. Wilson had often expressed interest in one day perhaps owning the horse when he retired.
Adopting horses off the track was something Wilson had done before: Belle Gully, one of her first favourite mounts who was simply a useful runner, is a riding horse at nearby Meadowlarke Stables while graded stakes winner Just Rushing (Wilson’s name on her license plate) was adopted and retired by the rider before he passed away two years ago.
“Reade had called me up and asked if I would be interested in taking Bear No Joke,” said Wilson. “It had crossed my mind before – he is a true racehorse and a big handsome dude.”
Dion, who knew Wilson loved the horse, decided to give Bear No Joke to her.
“I know he will be well looked after,” said Dion.
And Dion’s good deeds were not yet done.
A little more than 24 hours later, another of his former runners, the tall and leggy bay horse named Asserting Bear was racing at Mountaineer Park for $5,000 claiming, toiling in poor form since he was sold at the local mixed sale last fall.
“I sold him as a stallion prospect only, that is what I intended,” said Dion about the son of Bear’s Kid. Winner of the Marine Stakes and third in the Queen’s Plate, Asserting Bear instead was returned to training and he raced several times for low claiming without much success. A group of of the horse’s friends who used to work with him began to put a plan in place to attempt to buy the horse and retire him but were foiled when the price for the stallion was too high.
The group included Kelly List, Ursula Selby and Peter Carr who raised money to help obtain the horse. The night after Bear No Joke returned to his first owner, Asserting Bear was claimed from a seventh place finish and he is headed back to Ontario. Dion wrote a cheque to pay for the claim.
“I was so happy to hear they got him and that Reade looked after things for me, “said Dion. “I didn’t know the horse was going to be raced again, that was not my plan for him.”
Two Bears are now headed to good homes and a post racing life as, well, horses, thanks to the efforts Dion and his team.
Emma Wilson reminds us that it does not have to be a big move like that of Dion’s to continue to take care of our horses after they are done racing.
“If you can do a little, a lot will get done.”
Congratulations to Danny Dion and good luck Bear No Joke and Asserting Bear.
Asserting Bear
Bear No Joke in 2014 – by Terence Dulay
