Woodbine racing fans will be familiar with American (almost Canadian) owners Ray and Debbie Burke, who had a couple of nice Canadian-breds race in Ontario in 2021 and 2022. The Burkes hope to be back north this spring with their promising filly BELLE OF THE BARN (Street Sense) who won her career debut at Turfway Park in Florence, Kentucky on January 21.
The couple from Buffalo, New York, who consider themselves Canadian since they have friends and family in Ontario, began to dabble in horse ownership about seven years ago and they got a bit more serious in 2020 when they bought their first horse from the CTHS Ontario yearling sale. That purchase, The Minkster, won the biggest race for Canadian bred two-year-olds the next year, the Coronation Futurity, and the Queenston Stakes as a three-year-old. The Minkster is currently ready to race at Turfway with Caramori.
The year after The Minkster was bought, the Burkes purchased Jumpin Junie and she won the biggest race for Canadian bred two-year-old fillies in 2022, the Princess Elizabeth.
Now comes Belle of the Barn, a dark bay, very long-striding filly who came from off the pace and very wide to win her first race, a 6 1/2 furlong sprint, with a 71 Beyer Speed Figure. Belle of the Barn was bought from breeder David Anderson’s Anderson Farms from the 2024 Keeneland September yearling sale for $75,000.
“We were very pleased to see Belle of the Barn win her debut,” said Ray Burke. “Since she is by Street Sense, we believe she will be better with more distance. We bought her at Keeneland with an eye on the Canadian classics. ”
The dam of Belle of the Barn is Heartofthematter, whose three previous foals have shown talent. Her first foal was the stakes-placed filly Cielo d’Or, followed by the winning filly Vucchella, and her four-year-old of this year is the placed Copper Ghost who is readying for a return in Florida. Heartofthematter was unraced and her dam, Catboat, won the Grade 3 Arlington Breeders’ Cup Stakes. Catboat is the dam of multiple Grade 1 winner It’s Tricky, who is the dam of Kentucky Jockey Club and Gotham Stakes winner Enticed.
Burke told Canadian Thoroughbred that Jumpin Junie is at Four Pillars Farm in Lexington and is in foal to Maxfield.
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