A look back at the champions of the breed
Geldings are the work horses of any race card throughout the sport. Thoroughbreds are gelded for a variety of reasons, the main reason being to calm the horse for him to be more manageable and concentrate on his work. Born male, some young colts can be quite aggressive, especially when a pretty young filly is within sight, or he is
Read moreIt has been noted throughout racing history that many great race mares seldom become great broodmares once their racing days are finished. When a beloved champion is retired, high expectations for breeding success is placed on a mare by her connections and fans. The beloved Canadian champion Glorious Song bucked that trend being not only a multiple champion on the
Read moreCanadian racing had come a long way as to competitiveness on the world stage by the time Chief Bearhart burst onto the scene in the mid nineteen nineties. “The Chief” as he was known to his stable and fans, continued the new tradition of Canadian excellence in competing and winning many of the world’s biggest grass races on the racing
Read moreThere are many genetic factors that make a champion race horse what they are. When looking at a pedigree we generally notice the well known names within said pedigree and say “wow, nice breeding”! Smart breeders look not only for conformation matches and proven breeding successes, but also character traits and racing will. In the case of 1989 Canadian Triple
Read moreIn a sport known as “The Sport of Kings”, a horse’s pedigree prepares us for the possibility that a future champion may emerge. Horse racing history is replete with rags to riches stories that tug at the heart strings. Several beloved champions of the past have come from humble beginnings to rise to the top of the racing world and
Read moreSam-Son Farm began their foray into racing in 1972 when founder Ernie Samuel asked trainer Art Warner to claim a chestnut three year old filly named Takaring from a race at Fort Erie. Takaring would later win the Bison City Stakes and the Wonder Where Stakes, the final two thirds of the Canadian Triple Tiara for fillies, and thus set
Read moreBill Beasley was one of the more successful breeders/owners in Canadian racing during the fifties and sixties. He was a regular shopper at the Windfields yearling sales and built his successful racing stable with astute purchases. One such purchase was Canadian Champ, the 1956 Canadian Horse of the Year. Beasley campaigned three Horse of the Year recipients, two of which
Read moreCanada has a proud history in thoroughbred racing and boasts two native sons as winners of the famed Kentucky Derby. The most famous was 1964 winner Northern Dancer, who won the race in a then track record time. The other was born on the same farm and won the race in 1983. His name was Sunny’s Halo. Sunny’s Halo was
Read more“I believe that one day in Canada a horse will be bred that can win the Kentucky Derby. I have many friends in the game tell me the climate is not suitable that such a horse can be developed in my country, but I beg to differ. I hope to prove them wrong”. E.P. Taylor said these words in 1957.
Read moreWhen we look back at the greats of the turf, very seldom are the mothers of these heralded horses given much mention. When we say the name Northern Dancer, all kinds of adulation are heaped during the conversation, and rightfully so, about his racing and stud record. However little is said of his dam, the wonderful Natalma. I am sure
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