The local Thoroughbred racing community received sad news late last month with the announcement that legendary owner NICK FELICELLA had passed away at the age of 91 on January 22. Together with his wife Pauline, their red-and-white silks won stakes races in five consecutive decades and earned a spot alongside the elite in B.C. racing with their induction into the Hall of Fame in 2011.
Nick and Pauline’s journey in horseracing began in 1980 with their purchase of a young horse named RAMBLING NATIVE who, under the tutelage of veteran Hall of Fame conditioner William ‘Bud’ McDonald, went on to win three added money events in 1981 and concluded his three-year-old season by carrying a colossal 129 pounds to a close third-place finish in the B.C. Derby, which in those days was a handicap and not scale weights like it is today. The remnants of that initial success live on today through the family vehicle that sports the personalized license plate RAMBLER, which was the talented colt’s barn nickname. Further success followed in the 80s with the purchase of the two-year-old SALT OF THE SEA, who won the 1987 Jack Diamond Futurity and was voted Champion Juvenile.
The Felicella stable was primarily a one- or two-horse outfit until the 1990’s when the stable started to grow; resulting in many Stakes-winning stars such as STOP THE BLUES, who won six added-money events, including the 1993 BC Premiers Championship, on his way to winning just over $400,000 lifetime. Other stakes winners were FARAWAY PLACES, SHARP SUSPICION, CHEROKEE MISS and RUN WOLF RUN.
Nick and Pauline.
The turn of the century brought another gifted runner into the stable when AMERICAN JUSTICE, a BC bred bought for $20,000 at the 1997 CTHS Yearling Sale, captured four Stakes wins, including the 2000 BC Premiers and finished up with over $250,000 in earnings.
The famed Vancouver restaurateurs had their biggest success in the Thoroughbred game when they shelled out $21,000 at the 2003 CTHS BC Yearling Sale to secure a gelding by Ontario-based stallion Archers Bay, out of the mare Desert Mouse. Named SPAGHETTI MOUSE, he went on to become the richest BC-bred of all time, racking up 11 stakes triumphs including the 2005 BC Derby and ended his brilliant career with earnings of $929,000, earned entirely at Hastings Racecourse. The Felicellas resisted the lure of larger purses at other racetracks and chose to race their stable exclusively in Vancouver, demonstrating their never-ending commitment to the local racing scene.
Year after year they heavily supported local breeders at the CTHS BC yearling sale and spent well in excess of $1 million on numerous yearlings. They closed out the 2000’s with three Futurity wins, which were all graduates of the CTHS BC sales. In 2006 CHELSEY’S IMAGE captured the Sadie Diamond Futurity, while DESERT ALF won the Jack Diamond Futurity in 2007 and SILLY FELLA romped home in the 2009 edition.
Although the stable size became smaller, the successes continued into the 2010 decade with stakes stars ORCHID’S SILVER, who surprised everyone by winning the 2011 Grade 3 Ballerina at 26-1 and another CTHS yearling sale graduate, I WANT TO DUST HER, cruised home comfortably in the 2012 Sadie Diamond Futurity, earning top two-year-old filly honours at the awards dinner.
In 2018 the Felicellas received the ultimate award in the restaurant and food business when inducted into the BC Restaurants Hall of Fame. Their iconic Commercial Drive establishment Nick’s Spaghetti House opened its doors in 1955 and, after 62 years, was closed on December 21, 2017.
Nick Felicella was a mentor with his family, a tireless worker in business and a determined winner in horseracing and it was fitting that the final race he would see at Hastings was another stakes winning victory by his talented two-year-old gelding SUNBIRD in last season’s Ascot Graduation.
We have been blessed to have a lot of amazing owners throughout the years here in Vancouver and none more so than Nick Felicella.
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