There was one time when Santino Di Paola fell flat on his face, literally. But, these days, that’s hardly the norm for one of the most passionate young figures in Ontario thoroughbred racing circles.
If you’re going to celebrate when the horse you and your family own is mere yards away from victory, you might be forgiven for employing the, ‘go big or go home’ approach.
And that’s precisely what the now 20-year-old kid did on that day.
“Her name was Santina d’Or,” said Di Paola, of the Ontario-bred daughter of Cat’s At Home. “I remember I was cheering on the third floor at Woodbine. I was cheering as she was passing horses through the lane. When she got to the wire in front, I went running to give my brother a hug, and when I was running, I slipped and did a face plant on the concrete floor. There must have been 200 people looking at me when I fell, but the win made it all better and I was still one happy camper in the winner’s circle.”
Thankfully, there haven’t been any more incidents that have elicited wincing onlookers.
But, that’s not to say eyes aren’t on Di Paola.
“I’ve been involved in thoroughbred racing for as long as I can remember,” he said. “My family has been breeding and racing horses in Canada for the last 40 years (their D’s Wando contested the 2010 Queen’s Plate won by Big Red Mike). I grew up working with horses.”
These days, he’s working hard to make stars of the horses, horsemen and others.
“I run my own photography/videography business, along with my
own racing media site CHRTB (Canadian Horse Racing Thoroughbred, www.sdpchrtb.com),” said Di Paola, who currently owns three horses, including D’s Double Eagle, a chestnut son of Leonnatus Anteas. “I enjoy both photography and videography because they allow me to be creative. I like how I can incorporate thoroughbred racing into both.
“There is something about creating an image or short film that gets me excited,” he said. “I like the process of shooting the film or shooting the image and then later editing them to make something that is totally unique and different from what has been seen before.”
It’s no surprise to find out that Di Paola has a soft spot for longshots, so to speak.
“I like to feature the underdog,” he said. “I enjoy hearing the smaller man’s story and I also like to tell it through feature films.”
Di Paola’s exuberance for the sport is undeniable.
“I believe it’s an everyman type of game,” he said. “I believe that anyone can become an owner and go to the Kentucky Derby or the Queen’s Plate. It’s not a sport like football or basketball where you yourself need to possess the skills to be a successful athlete. Only a small percentage of people can be pro athletes, but anyone can join our sport and have success. There is truly nothing better then cheering for your own horse. There is so much time and hard work that goes into these animals, so when you win, it feels like you won gold at the Olympics.”
Di Paola (@SantinoD1994 on Twitter) has plenty on his plate in 2015.
“I’m working with LongRun Thoroughbred Retirement Society,” he said. “We have some cool projects that are coming up. The main thing that I am working on is CHRTB’s web show, Road To The Plate. It’s been a lot of work to make the show, but I am dedicated to giving it 100 per cent of my effort so it can be a hit.
“It’s a web show that will run about 25 minutes in length. I have a co-host, Handel Viarruel, and Julie Wright, who will also be helping out. The show will feature everything Queen’s Plate. The focus will be on the horses and the connections. We want to touch on as many horses as we can. There will be feature stories on owners, trainers, jockeys and the breeders, and sit-down interviews with owners and trainers.”
More than enough to keep Di Paola putting his best foot forward – and no need to worry about stumbling.
