Mighty Heart has become a bit of a locomotive in the Canadian racing world, the little man’s folk hero, the little engine that could. On Saturday, he will attempt to become the 13th Canadian Triple Crown winner, a good omen, considering that he broke from post 13 in the Queen’s Plate last month, and was listed at odds of 13 to 1. The one-eyed wonder is the … [Read more...] about Mighty Heart’s Date with History
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When a Cup and Saucer is Golden
Mrs. Orpen would have loved it. It all sounded so dramatic: a horse called Master Spy came out of the mists at Woodbine Racetrack and won the 84th running of the Cup and Saucer Stakes, a dark streak that could not be caught. The Cup and Saucer was Mrs. Orpen’s race, all those years ago, when it first was held. Her husband Abe Orpen was an Irish immigrant who … [Read more...] about When a Cup and Saucer is Golden
A Jubilee of Epic Proportions
“Come on, mama,” Tino Attard repeated to Starship Jubilee as she floated into the paddock before the $1-million Woodbine Mile on Sept. 19. It was almost like a chant. He was rather like a pacing parent. The elder Attard was a believer in this spunky 7-year-old mare. She made believers out of the rest of us moments later. At odds of 6 to 1, Starship Jubilee trounced … [Read more...] about A Jubilee of Epic Proportions
Eric Lamaze in the Battle of his Life
Eric Lamaze considers himself lucky, even though his life reads like a tragic novel and he’s currently undergoing intense treatment for a brain tumour. He says although his future is uncertain, he’s making plans. This past weekend, he says he will put all of his energy toward competing at the Tokyo Olympics next summer. And then step aside from the … [Read more...] about Eric Lamaze in the Battle of his Life
Lamaze and Millar at the Royal
What a night. The minks and the frothy dresses were one thing. Show-jumping royalty was another. It was all there on Thursday (Nov. 7) at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair horse show, an event, as storied show-jumping star Ian Millar said: “very unique in the world. There is nothing like it.” This year, it was a homecoming of sorts, a gathering, a memory of … [Read more...] about Lamaze and Millar at the Royal
The Last Pot of Gold
Eurico Rosa da Silva knew time was running out, like sand in an hourglass. With three months left in his riding career, there was but one stakes race at Woodbine that he had never won. He had won two Queen’s Plates, and the Canadian International Championship Stakes two years ago on 43 to 1 shot, Bullard’s Alley, in a race dominated by non-local jockeys. But the … [Read more...] about The Last Pot of Gold
Gail Cox Comes Full Circle
It’s funny how it works: trainer Gail Cox finds herself floating full-circle into the $1-million Ricoh Woodbine Mile, tackling the race for the first time in her career, for an outfit that brought her to horses in the first place: Sam-Son Farm. Cox has guided a 4-year-old Sam-Son homebred, El Tormenta to this epic grass race, where he is accorded 20 to 1 odds for … [Read more...] about Gail Cox Comes Full Circle