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December 30, 2010

A salute to Blue, and the rest of this year’s retirement class

By Lauren Lee

A salute to Blue, and the rest of this year’s retirement class

As the clock ticks towards midnight on New Year’s Eve, another group of old racing warriors will join the ranks of the retired.
 
As it is every year, this year’s class of mandatory retirees has several distinguished members, who gave their all through hundreds of starts, making lasting memories every step of the way.
 
The great Admirals Express (above) is among this year’s names. And although his retirement comes posthumously, after his unfortunate passing in October, the Grey Gladiator had the fastest mark (1:48.2) and most career earnings ($2,176,860) of any 14-year-old horse that made at least one start in 2010.
 
Somewhat surprisingly, his 86 lifetime wins only rank him fifth in terms of this year’s retirees, behind pacers J C (95 wins), Blue Oxfords (93) and Southwind Night (87) and trotter Boomer Berman (89), who had the best final year of all comers — with a record of 13-12-5 from 37 starts this year racing primarily at Batavia and Buffalo on the western New York circuit.
 
Blue Oxfords (below), a son of Cambest—Bunny Blue Butler, won 93 times and more than $825,000 in purses, but thrills and cheques don’t begin to describe what he’s meant to Gale Moen and family.
 
 
Of the nine horses that the 75-year-old grandmother and retired GM worker trains on her farm in Lapeer, MI, Blue Oxfords is clearly king.
 
“He’s the first one fed and the first one out in the morning,” said Moen.
 
“He’s the one and he’s never leaving the farm. He’s earned a little barn and his own paddock and he’ll live out his days right here.”
 
Through the years, “Blue” has made trails from Michigan’s Sports Creek Raceway to Northville Downs and Hazel Park. He was a frequently successful invader in preferred competition at Windsor Raceway and Western Fair, circa 2003-2006, where he was often paired with driver Terry Kerr to form a winning combination. In the years before that, he could be found on the Jockey Club or trying his luck at the Meadowlands.
 
In short, the horse has logged more than a few miles in the last decade but ever since he was plucked from a $60,000 claimer at Woodbine by Gale’s husband Ray in 2000, he’s always come back home to Lapeer.
 
For the Moens, the journey began in 1975. Ray, Gale and their three boys all worked at GM and Ray purchased his first horse back then as something the whole family could have a little fun with in their spare time.
 
“We had so much fun with it — and the kids got so involved with it — that then they bought another one... and another one... and then we bought the farm,” said Gale.
 
“That’s just the way it happened.”
 
They carried on that way for a good many years, before tragedy struck when two of Ray and Gale’s boys were killed in a car accident in 1998. In the aftermath of that great loss, Blue Oxfords came along and his success and longevity provided a measure of joy amid the sadness.
 
Less than two years after acquiring the horse that brightened their days, the family was dealt another blow when Ray succumbed to cancer.
 
Undeterred, Gale persevered with the horses and the farm. As a tribute to her husband and sons, she trained Blue Oxfords — one of the last horses Ray bought before his passing — herself and has kept him racing through the years with the help of her 26-year-old grandson, Lindsay, who often serves as driver.
 
To her, Blue means so much more than wins and earnings.
 
“Oh, we love him,” she said.
 
“Through it all, he’s helped us and given us something to keep busy with. He’s just been special in every way, shape and form.”
 
 
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October 29, 2010

Burke North may become a reality

By Lauren Lee

Burke North may become a reality

Yes, it’s been a good year everywhere for Ron Burke’s stable. With $15.5 million in purses, the sport’s leading trainer can’t really complain about anywhere he’s hung his hat in 2010, but he’s a little partial to Canada, nonetheless.

 
And why not? In 24 Canadian starts this year, Burke has a record of 7-3-6 with $1,282,000 in purses — an average of $53,416 every time a Burke horse came north to race.
 
Moreover, the list of great Canadian stakes he won in just a five-month stretch would be a career for most trainers. Thanks to Won The West, Buck I St Pat and three-year-old trotter Sing Jesse Sing, Burke knocked off the $780,000 Canadian Pacing Derby and $312,000 Molson Pace (Won The West), $376,000 Armbro Flight and $115,500 Earl Rowe Memorial (Buck I St Pat) and $387,000 Goodtimes (Sing Jesse Sing).
 
Beyond that, when he wanted to leave a horse in Canada to race for a spell, he entrusted them to Ontario trainer Dave Menary, which quickly became another successful Canadian venture for Burke.
 
He’s been impressed with Menary’s work, especially as it pertains to a couple of Camluck-sired, three-year-old pacers, Big Bay Point and Good Bad Lucky (both owned by the Burke Racing Stable and Weaver Bruscemi LLC).
 
Big Bay Point has earned $225,000 this season from seven wins with a mark of 1:49. In July, he won his division of the Canadian Breeders Championship and currently ranks fifth in the Ontario Sires Stakes (OSS) Gold standings. For his part, Good Bad Lucky recently finished second in the $100,000 OSS Grassroots Final at Western Fair.
 
“The connection with David, with racing some up there and leaving some up there to race has been great,” said Burke. He’s done unbelievable well and he’s just a sharp guy who does a really great job.”
 
In the wake of such a successful season, Burke is thinking seriously about a future where Canada might one day get his undivided attention. And it’s not because he’s on a hot streak in the Great White North. It’s because he’s betting on Canada’s racing future.
 
“We are going to keep coming up (to Canada) more and more. The thing I like about it is that I think Canada is the one place that I feel confident that there’s going to be racing for a long time due to the fact that people still embrace the racing aspect of it where not every track down here (in the U.S.) do you get that feeling,” said Burke.
 
“I still think we are going to have a full-time presence (in Canada) soon because you can stable at one training centre and you can ship to five different tracks. Our barn is set up for that more than anybody’s barn because we race from five-claimers to Breeders Crown horses. So it really is tempting for us to come up there full-time.
 
“Everywhere we go, we’re treated great. The money’s great and I really do believe that the Canadian product will be around for a long time. You know, I’m only 40 so I’ve got to stretch this out for a while yet,” he said, with a laugh.
 
“I’m thinking I might export myself.”
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July 06, 2010

A Keeper for the Colemans

By Lauren Lee

A Keeper for the Colemans

 

Keeper Flying is the gift that keeps on giving for Casie Coleman (above, Dave Landry photo) and her family.  

The now 14-year-old pacing mare has the distinction of being the first horse in the trainer’s groundbreaking career, which now includes a victory in the North American Cup to go along with three O’Brien awards as Canada’s top trainer and more than $25 million in career earnings.
 
It was November 2002, when owner Merlin Howse gave the young trainer the go-ahead to make a claim on his behalf and Keeper Flying (Nuclear Flash—Maddie Hayes) became the first of many good things to come.
 
The mare raced admirably during her career in the claiming ranks, amassing $78,000 from 15 wins. Howse and Coleman, who lost and then reclaimed the mare several times over, still hold the papers on her to this day.
 
Moments after Sportswriter’s win in the North America Cup on June 26 at Mohawk Racetrack, Coleman’s thoughts drifted back to those first steps in her career.
 
“If it wasn’t for Merlin Howse, who came to me with my first horse Keeper Flying and let me claim her… If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be standing here today,” she said, emphatically.
 
“I wouldn’t have a stable under me, if it wasn’t for him. He was the first person to put that trust in me, put some money behind me and give me a shot, so a lot of this goes to him.”
 
Four years ago, the duo bred their sentimental favourite to Intrepid Seelster and, for the last two seasons, a second-generation “Keeper” has kept a smile on the face of trainer Phil Coleman, Casie’s father, who has guided Keepers Destiny to an impressive record racing across Ontario — at his home base of Flamboro Downs, as well as Western Fair, Grand River Raceway, Woodbine and Rideau Carleton Raceway.
 
In 37 career starts, Keepers Destiny has won 11 times, hit the board 28 times, only missed a cheque on three occasions and has earned more than $136,000.
 
“It’s special for us all,” said Phil, 59, referring to the Keeper-Coleman legacy.
 
“That was Casie’s first horse and Merlin Howse was her first owner. And now (Keeper Flying’s) daughter comes along and has only missed a cheque three times in her career. That’s amazing. It’s just a special thing.”

 

 

 

 

  

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