It was March of 1961 when horse racing-mad Don Valliere (later the longtime manager of Fort Erie racetrack) had an idea for a national thoroughbred magazine. “Horsemen and ardent racing fans hold strong views on their favourite sport. It is likely they hold equally strong views on the make-up of a magazine devoted to that sport.”
Valliere and John J. Mooney, vice president of the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society, collected donations totaling $1,000 from 23 of the most powerful horse people in the business and launched Canadian Horse through Rexwood Publications.
Fittingly, if not strangely coincidental, it was just two months later, on May 27, 1961, when the greatest thoroughbred in Canadian history, Northern Dancer, was born.
1960s
Incredibly, Mooney’s opening letter in the first issue of Canadian Horse points out issues facing racing in the 1960s that are still prevalent today:
“In Canada, we have a great many problems to face. These included British Columbia’s present shortage of horses to participate in their races. And the heavy tax burden that is stifling of the sport in that area.” Mooney goes on to cite racing date conflicts in the prairie provinces, Quebec racing’s woes and keeping racing at a high level in Ontario.
Through the first decade of Canadian Horse magazine, published eight to nine times each year, featured articles covered the industry’s most timeless queries. There was frequent features on how to handicap races such as the Queen’s Plate, profiles of major players in the business, breeding techniques and tips from the experts on how to make a sale purchase.
A major discussion point in the magazine in the mid to late 60s was the possible introduction of Sunday racing and racing at night, both of which now exist.
Canadian Horse also selected its own champion horses each year (pre-Sovereign awards which were inaugurated in 1975) instead of siding with Daily Racing Forms’ annual selection of its champions.
Joe Thomas, writer and bloodstock ace, as well as E.P. Taylor’s right-hand man for Windfields Farm, was a regular contributor as was the famed Toronto columnists Trent Frayne and Jim Proudfoot.
“Our coverage of major races is not meant as a news feature, but, hopefully, an aid to breeders, owners and trained in the never-ending effort to buy or race a better thoroughbred,” said Valliere in one of his editorials.
1970s
By the 1970s, Canadian Horse was published up to 12 times a year. The design had evolved to be more sophisticated with a more modern typeface and Phil Jones was among its new editors. Handicapper and columnist Jim Bannon had also joined the team to keep readers up to date on Canadian horses and their accomplishments. The topic of off-track betting coming to Canada often filled its pages.
The magazine continued to publish the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society’s annual review, providing statistics and notes from each year’s racing as well as a detailed Sire Book each winter.
In 1979, an editorial in the magazine covered the topic of artificial insemination, a discussion which continues today (see the October/November 2010 issue of Canadian Thoroughbred).
1980s
The Canadian Horse changed hands in 1979 as James Smallwood took over ownership and a series of editors were on the job until it was sold once again to Don McKenzie in 1984. After just two years, the magazine was purchased by Susan Jane Anstey, publisher of The Corinthian (now Horse Sport) newspaper that often had horse racing coverage.
Anstey, along with contributing editor Susan Rhodomyre (who had been an editor at Thoroughbred Times) re-named the magazine Canadian Thoroughbred, freshened the look of the publication by adding more colour and a burgundy banner to the cover.
The ‘80s were the thrilling years of yearling sales as the offspring of Northern Dancer sent prices skyward. The Woodbine sale had its own multi-million dollar baby in Mistral Dancer, who sold for $3.5 million but never amounted to much.
Some of the best Canadian-breds of the last half a century emerged in the late 1980s including the first Canadian Triple Crown winner in more than 25 years. Kinghaven Farms’ homebred, With Approval, eked out wins in the Queen’s Plate and the Prince of Wales Stakes before cruising to a big win in the Breeders’ Stakes on the grass to take home a $1 million Triple Crown bonus offered by the Bank of Montreal.
On May 14, 1989, E.P. Taylor passed away and less than a year later, the ‘Dancer was dead.
1990s
Covering Canadian horse racing was almost difficult in the 90s because the accomplishments of many Canadian breds were so astounding. There were so many significant successes that there often weren’t enough pages to dedicate to each of the successes.
Kinghaven and Sam-Son Farms often led the parade. The former took another Triple Crown bonus when Izvestia cantered through a Triple Crown sweep in 1990 and Sam-Son’s Dance Smartly matched the achievement in 1991. Dance Smartly also became the first Canadian bred to win a Breeders’ Cup race when she won the 1991 Distaff. Her stablemate Chief Bearhart won the Breeders’ Cup Turf in 1997.
The Breeders’ Cup came to Woodbine in ‘96 on a sparkling, sunny, October day when thousands of fans packed the stands while millions watched on national television.
On the executive side, David Willmot, son of Kinghaven founder ‘Bud’ Willmot, took over the helm of the Ontario Jockey Club in 1994. The younger Willmot successfully guided the ship from near bankruptcy to a prosperous business by 2009.
2000-2011
Canadian horse racing in the 21st century exploded with the introduction of slot machines, particularly in Ontario. Purses at Woodbine bulged to among the highest in North America and the O.J.C. was re-named Woodbine Entertainment Group. Topics covered in this publication for the past decade include the technological boom from betting on the phone or on the computer, to the latest in vet and nutrition studies.
As part of Canadian Thoroughbred’s national mandate, issues facing the entire country are increasingly addressed. From the continued efforts to bolster the horse population in British Columbia, to the on-again off-again track in Alberta, and improved racing in Manitoba, the magazine addresses the entire industry’s concerns.
For 50 years, Canadian Thoroughbred has been the news, views and features source for Canadian horse people. It has published the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society’s Statistical Review each year (the only one of its kind in the country) and the attractive and in-depth Sire Book.
There has always been a need for one, truly national horse racing publication in Canada and Canadian Thoroughbred has been proud to deliver the news and will continue to do so for at least another 50 years.
