Numerous Times had just won the Grade 1 Woodbine (Atto) Mile at Woodbine in course-record time of 1:32.79, winning by a nose under a well-timed move by jockey Patrick Husbands. The Ontario-bred 4-year-old beat some tough American horses in that monumental win and for owner Robert Harvey it was a wonderfully emotional victory for the Sudbury-born horse lover.
Following the race, Bob was overwhelmed that his star colt, whom he had syndicated and raced with several friends including Al Wortzman, had just earned $600,000 for the win, remaining undefeated. Trainer Sid Attard had prepared the son of Numerous to perfection but early in the horse’s life, it didn’t look like he would ever race.
A year earlier, Numerous Times suffered an intestinal infection that required surgery. He was hit with another infection a few weeks later and then came down with colic.
“This horse was the closest thing to death that you’d want to get,” Bob told the media after the Atto Mile win. “I looked at him and he was standing there and the doctors said, `Listen, he doesn’t have enough strength and if he goes down, he’s not coming back.’
“And I’m there looking at him and bawling my eyes out. But I talked to him and he didn’t go down. He came back and look at what he did today.”
Anyone who knew Bob at the track or had a chance to talk horses with him when he frequently visited the Woodbine Club with family to watch his horses race saw this passion for horses all the time. When he began to breed his own, Bob had a knack for matching his small group of mares to the right stallions. A colt from Harvey and Wortzman’s foal crop of 2007, Hollinger was the 2009 Champion 2-Year-Old in Canada and in 2016 there was Calling Rhy Rhy, a homebred named for his granddaughter Rhyann, who overcame allergies to win two stakes with trainer Roger Attfield. He also sold some homebreds including stakes winner and Grade 1 placed Bickersons and stakes-placed Hot and Spicy.
Sadly, Bob passed away suddenly on December 23 at the age of 83. Only a few weeks earlier, his homebred 3-year-old COUSIN BOB won his maiden at Woodbine.
Bob’s family will be hosting the funeral at Woodbine Racetrack on January 14th from 12:00-2:00 p.m. The family invites Bob’s friends to tune in livestream by logging in here as they spread his ashes at the finish line where Numerous Times won the Atto Mile.
ln Bob’s memory, the family asks that donations be sent to LongRun Thoroughbred Retirement Society or by calling 416-675-3993, Ext. 3440.
Pedigree lines created by Bob will continue to be seen in Canadian racing through two of his top mares, Dynamite Cocktail and Dancehall Floozy. Dynamite Cocktail, by Dynaformer, is the dam of Hollinger and many others including Hallnor (dam of Cousin Bob), whose 3-year-old of 2022 is the promising Hall of Dreams, owned and bred by Joey Gee Thoroughbreds.
Bob’s family wrote this touching obituary:
“The ‘hangdog’ Bob Harvey was a character beyond characters who charmed many and was beloved by many more.
He loved playing sports growing up and was especially fond of baseball and hockey, eventually playing right-wing for the Dixie Beehives of the MJBHL in the mid-1950’s. Bob decided not to follow his father and other family members into the mining business and set out on his own path as an entrepreneur that ultimately reaped great success both personally and professionally.
Always fond of regaling friends and family with his time delivering goods up and down Yonge Street in his teens and 20s, Bob quickly become a huge success in the transportation business owning Firestone stores across the GTA. In 1984, Bob established Cooksville Tire, successfully focusing on the commercial, passenger, and agricultural tire market in southern Ontario.
His success with Cooksville allowed Bob to pursue his true sporting love, thoroughbred horse racing. He became the owner of many horses that raced and won at tracks around North America, with his home base at Woodbine with trainer Sid Attard. Bob campaigned many stakes-winning thoroughbreds over the years and was one of very few Canadians to win two Sovereign Awards.
His greatest memory was leading an ownership group of great friends who won a three-way photo finish win at the prestigious Grade 1 Woodbine (Atto) Mile in 2001, where his horse Numerous Times set a course record with a nose victory to qualify for the Breeders’ Cup.
Bob went on to have great success as a breeder with numerous winners including his homebred 2009 Sovereign Winning 2 year old, Hollinger, and stakes winner Calling Rhy Rhy, named after his granddaughter Rhyan Mitchell.
Bob loved to watch sports and along with horse racing he loved to watch his Maple Leafs, Raptors, Tiger Cats and Blue Jays. Although not many people know he was a devout Detroit Tigers and Detroit Lions fan growing up. In fact, his mother and sisters would say it was best not to be around young Robert after he had listened to a Tiger loss over the radio. Bob also thoroughly enjoyed a good round of golf with friends and was last a member at Mississauga Golf Club.
However, Bob’s biggest love, and what he was most proud of, was his family.”
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