Benjamin Hutzel.
In an effort to help struggling breeders, Benjamin Hutzel of Toronto, ON, the owner and breeder of Passion for Action who stands at Colebrook Farms in Uxbridge, ON, has joined Charles Fipke in waiving the 2020 stud fees for his stallion. Hutzel, a retired lawyer, sits on the board of Woodbine Entertainment, and is also on a number of Woodbine Entertainment committees.
The eight-year-old Ontario-bred Passion For Action (by Speightstown – Maritime Passion, by Stormy Atlantic) had 23 starts and career earnings of $628,519 with six wins including four stakes, at two (Cup and Saucer S.) and four (Highlander S., Vigil S., Jacques Cartier S.). The handsome bay, who was a finalist for Champion Sprinter honours in 2016. entered stud in 2018 at Colebrook for a fee of $3,000. His first crop are yearlings of 2020.
Colebrook Farms’ John Burness commented on the unprecedented move during a difficult time for the racing industry as a whole due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “They’re doing it for the breeders and we’re throwing in the extra work necessary to breed the mares. It is nice of them to do that for the people. Nancy (Wheatley) is getting calls; obviously when there is something like that available, people will take advantage of it.”
