CORY HOFFMAN, one half of the powerful ownership team of Hoffman and Stephen Chesney, posted this fun photo on FB recently. At right is champion sprinter CALGARY CAT, a prospect for champion sprinter again this year, in his winter paddock with Penalty Kill – thank you Cory for the post!
SOME OF OUR FAVOURITE THINGS 2015
One of the best parts of horse racing is getting to know the owners, breeders and trainers from the big stables to the one-horse stables.
Finding out how passionate these people are about their horses and how they got into racing or breeding could fill many pages.
TALKIN HORSES TV show, with 21 episodes in 2015 on CTV and CTVtwo introduced us to so many interesting horsepeople.
One of them was PHIL LANNING who was racing his homebred mare LYNNESSA in the Classy ‘n Smart Stakes in late summer.
The fact that Lanning even still owned the 6-year-old, white-faced chestnut mare by Old Forester from Miners Bay by Geiger Counter was mostly luck as Lanning made a fateful decision in 2007.
“I was selling all my horses, going to get out of horse breeding,” said Lanning, who had bred and raced or sold a couple Miners Bay’s offspring.
At the CTHS mixed sale in December 2007, Lanning had entered some of his horses inclduing Seal of Moulin, a daughter of Miners Bay who had won over $100,00 on the track for Lanning and co-breeders Nick Andrews and Gerry Belanger.
Miners Bay, however, did not reach her reserve and she went unsold at $1,000 and Lanning went to work on selling the mare privately
But when the weanling daughter of the mare, Peak Efficiency, by Peaks and Valleys sold later in the afternoon for $7,000 to owner/trainer Robert Tiller, Lanning had a cause for pause.
“I thought, if Tiller bought the filly, she had a good chance to go on and do something,” said Lanning, remarking on Tiller’s tremendous success rate with sales purchases.
So Lanning stuck it out one more year and bred Miners Bay in the spring of 2009 to Old Forester.
The result was Lynnessa, who Lanning decided to keep and race.
Through this month, Lynnessa, under the care of trainer Ron Sadler, has won 5 off 33 racea nd over $350,000. The mare Miners Bay’s 2010 foal, CSONKA, is also a multiple winner for Lanning with earnings of over $150,000.
Lanning said if it was not for Tiller purchcasing Peak Efficiency at that sale, he would never have owned or bred Lynnessa.
(Peak Efficiency raced once for Tiller and was unplaced before she went to the US to race. She won 3 of 23 races)
Lanning talked more about Lynnessa to Talkin Horses on this episode (13:00 mark)
THOROUGHBLOG would like to thank so many, many people for their generosity during the 2015 racing season with their wonderful images – here are some friends:
Cindy Pierson Dulay and Terence Dulay – www.horse-races.net
Mr Will Wong https://www.facebook.com/MrWillW/photos_albums
Woodbine, Michael Burns, Dawn Kay, Keith McCalmont
Jackie Humber
Norm Files
Dave Landry
Lisa Thompson
TOP BEYER FIGURES IN CANADIAN RACES
MONDIALISTE and LEA are 1-2 in the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile – a 106 Beyer Figure race according to Daily Racing Form – TERENCE DULAY/HORSE-RACES.NET
MONDALISTE 106 Woodbine Mile
LEA 106 Woodbine Mile
CANNOCK CHASE 105
PHIL’S DREAM 104 (Shepperton)
STACKED DECK 103 (Kennedy Road)
CALGARY CAT 103 (Jacques Cartier)
RED RIFLE 103 (Dominion Day)
UP WITH THE BIRDS 103 (Cdn Int.)
MELMICH 102 (Elgin S. , Valdeictory S.)
ARE YOU KIDDING ME 102 Autumn S.
PARISE 102 Jacques Cartier
SHEIHKZAYEDROAD 102 (Cdn Int.)
OBVIOUSLY 102 (WoodMile)
GO BLUE OR GO HOME 102 (Highlander)
EIRIGH 101 (allow)
KARIBU GARDENS 101 (allow)
LUKES ALLEY 101 (Autumn)
GOLDEN SABRE 101 (Durham)
TOWER OF TEXAS 101 (Play the King)
REPORTING STAR 101 (Play the King)
FLORIDA WON 101 (Dominion Day)
CURVY 101 (EP Taylor)
KATIE’S EYES 101 (Highland)
STACKED DECK 101 (allow)
STACKED DECK 1001 (allow)
TALMADA 100 (EP Taylor)
TOP BEYER SPEED FIGURES – ASSININBOIA DOWNS MAGIC D’ORO
The top 3 Beyer Speed Figures posted at Assiniboia Downs this year according to SIRE POWERED RESULTS at drf.com were all hung up by MAGIC D’ORO, an entire horse by Medaglia d’Oro our of Jennie R by Awesome Again.
The 5yo posted a 96, 95 and 89 in his wins in the Manitoba Mile, R J Speers and Gold Cup Stakes. The horse is owned by Barry Arnason and Martin Yeroschak, trained by Tanya Lindsay and he was bred by James and Sylvia Didion in Kentucky.
and HASTINGS PARK
KILLIN ME SMALLS, one of Canada’s top older horses of 2015 – JACKIE HUMBER photo
Two horses hit the 90s in Beyer Speed Figures: KILLIN ME SMALLS won the BC Premier’s – Grade 3 with a 95 Beyer and he is by Marcavelly from Curly Girl by Golden Missile.
MR BOWLING, by Istan, won the Lieutenant Governor’s Handicap with a 91 for Mark Dedeomenico and NATHC.
KILLIN ME SMALLS dominated results at Northlands Park as well as Ed Welsh and Deltin Stables’ 5yo gelding posted Beyer Figures of 93 and 92 in the Spangled Jimmy and Speed to Spare S. The gelding is an Ontario bred (Zayat Stables).
FOR CASH posted a 94 Beyer Figure when he won the Western Handicaping for Southview Ag and trainer Dale Greenwood.
Fort Erie results on SPR were not available
Highest Beyer Speed Figures in 2015 by ONTARIO-BREDS
PRIVATE ZONE, one of the most successful Ontario-bred horses of all time, has undergone many changes in his career and has been all over, but he was once again the fastest from this province in 2015. He is currently for a a rest with current trainer Brian Lynch. VANESSA NG photo
PRIVATE ZONE 106 Breeders Cup Sprint
– br – Adena Springs
PRIVATE ZONE 106 Belmont Sprint Ch
PRIVATE ZONE 105 Forego
HEART TO HEART 104 River City – Grade 3
– br – RED HAWK STABLES
LEDEOKOL 104 5/G (ON), Purge – Quick to Boot, by Storm Boot
Breeder: James A. Everatt, Janeane A. Everatt & J. Arika Ev | Trainer: Marcial Navarro | Owner: Julian De Mora
Allowance Optional Claiming – GULFSTREAM PARK (USA)
PHIL’S DREAM 104
7/G (ON), Philanthropist – Dream A Dream (GB), by Emperor Jones
Breeder: Paul Buttigieg | Trainer: Paul Buttigieg | Owner: Buttigieg Training Centre
HEART TO HEART 103
4/C (ON), English Channel – Ask the Question, by Silver Deputy
Breeder: Darrell Colin Bauder | Trainer: Brian Lynch | Owner: Terry Hamilton
Stakes – Grade: 3 | Red Bank S., MONMOUTH PARK (USA), Race Number: 10 | T-Firm | Dist: 8f | Time: 1:32.27 | Purse: $100,000 | Beyer: 103 | DRF Chart
HEART TO HEART 103 Grade: 3 | Oceanport S.
HARD NOT TO LIKE 103
6/M (ON), Hard Spun – Like a Gem, by Tactical Cat
Breeder: Garland E. Williamson | Trainer: Christophe Clement | Owner: Speedway Stable LLC
Stakes – Grade: 1 | Diana S., SARATOGA (USA), Race Number: 10 | T-Firm | Dist: 9f | Time: 1:45.22 | Purse: $500,000 | Beyer: 103 | DRF Chart
CALGARY CAT 103
5/G (ON), Cowtown Cat – Big Sink Star, by A.P. Indy
Breeder: WinStar Farm LLC | Trainer: Kevin Attard | Owner: Chesney, Stephen and Hoffman, Cory S.
Stakes – Jacques Cartier S., WOODBINE (CAN), Race Number: 8 | S-Fast | Dist: 6f | Time: 1:08.98 | Purse: $125,000 | Beyer: 103 | DRF Chart
Other notable ALBERTA-BREDS
ALL RUN – Flower Alley – Proud Runner by Proud Citizen.
Winner at Del Mar on Nov 7 with a 96 Beyer Figure, 6 furlongs, dirt, 1:08.83 allowance
ALL RUN
Winner at Santa Anita – Sept. 27 96 Beyer, 6 1/2 furlongs 1:15.27 allow
FOR CASH – Stephen Got Even – Punching, by Two Punch 94 Beyer Western H.
WINNINGEST HORSE AT A CANADIAN TRACK IS…
BLAMEITONTHEKNIGHT, an Alberta-bred filly by Sharp Humor – Miss Jennifer Lynn by El Prado who won 7 of 11 races this season.
Bred by Don Gibb and raced by trainer Dale Saunders and M and P Equipment Inc and Met-Set Consulting Ltd., the 3yo filly was a $20,000 claim earlier this year. She went on to win the Alberta Oaks by 8 lengths.
Second at 6 wins at Woodbine was Melmich and Miss Victoria and three horses won 5 races: Swiss Idol, Lotus Lane and Tapadero.
