Ontario’s new CTHS board met for the first time on Wednesday to determine the executive, assign duties, and discuss possible future initiatives.
The new board voted for David Anderson of Anderson Farms to be the new president of the CTHS and chair of the Sale Committee. Anderson has deep ties to all aspects of the business having been a director of the HBPA, on the board of Ontario Racing where he is the chair of the Thoroughbred Improvement Program, and a steward of the Jockey Club of Canada. Although he had to resign his position at the HBPA to accept his new position on the board of the CTHS, Anderson and is eager to build on his existing relationships.
“I look forward to working more closely with the entire industry: breeders, owners, trainers, and racetracks. I really want to strengthen the cohesiveness across the industry and work more closely with HBPA, OR, OLG and Woodbine. Ultimately, the stronger these relationships are, the stronger racing will be, which will benefit Ontario breeders,” said Anderson. “At the end of the day, our priority is to focus on improving the sale, but we’ll use the first 90 days in office to table ideas and create action plans. Stay tuned.”
Returning to the board is Colleen Dalos, who was chosen as the first vice-president and the chair of the Marketing Committee. Dalos is the president of Tall Oaks Farm, which now stands four stallions in Ontario.
“We are here for the breeders and committed to helping grow the industry for everyone,” said Dalos, who emphasized that the sale is the board’s number-one priority. “I am thrilled to be part of a team who are working to inspire and promote the breeders of today and the new ones of tomorrow. Our team is focused on innovative thinking, new programs and ideas and we are here to give breeders more reasons to breed. I can see this amazing vision for Ontario in the future and I’m pumped!”
Although a new face on the board, second vice-president and chair of the Finance Committee, Doug Anderson has been in the breeding and racing business since the mid-’90s. Working with trainer Catherine Day Phillips for 25 years, Anderson has been part of several successful racing and breeding partnerships in Ontario and Manitoba including the one to buy and race A Bit O’Gold, the 2004 Champion Male Three-Year-Old and 2005 Horse Of The Year.
“We need to have stronger sales here and also see the horses here so that the stories get told to stimulate more interest and appetite and create more of a market,” explained Doug Anderson of his goals for the CTHS. “We have to have a vision of abundance. We have to make our sale strong. The question is what can we do to create greater appetite here? That doesn’t mean that we have to diminish the appetite elsewhere like at Keeneland or Fasig-Tipton. It’s not a zero-sum game. We need to have a good roster of horses on offer here and importantly get the stories out so that we have the buyers.”
After the retirement of past president Peter Berringer, Arika Everatt was nominated by the board to fill the vacancy. She joins two other women, Michaela Kemp and Ericka Rusnak, on the well-balanced board. The remainder of the board consists of John Burness, John Carey, Frank Di Giulio Jr., Bernard McCormack, and Glenn Sikura.
“We are working on new and fresh ideas and look forward to sharing those plans with members very soon,” concluded David Anderson.
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