Born in Russia, Katerina Vassilieva came to Canada when she was eight. Her love for horses eventually led her to Woodbine Racetrack, where she became a trainer in 2011.
Her first stakes score came courtesy of Blues Dancing in the 2012 Lady Angela Stakes. One year later, Big Bazinga was second in the Grade 3 Grey Stakes.
Recently, she shared the tale of the horse that changed her life, a resilient bay gelding by the name of Shabaab.
This is their story.
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I'm grateful for all the horses I meet in my life because I feel they were all meant to come into my life for a reason, and usually they teach me something about being a horsewoman. I've been lucky to come across a few notable equines in my career so far, but the first to have changed my life would have to be Shabaab.
His name means "the youth" in Arabic and he's rightly named because he is always happy and full of energy. He's now 9 and retired (though still owned by me). I first met Shabaab as a 3 year old when I worked for Michael Pino as an assistant. Mike had a handful of horses for Shadwell Stable and I was delighted at the prospect of helping to train for such distinguished and reputable owners.
Shabaab immediately caught my eye and my heart as he was big, gorgeous and regal looking, and showed a lot of heart and talent as a racehorse when I galloped him in the morning. When he first came to us, he had one or two (poor) starts, but I was sure he was better than his past performance indicated by the way he acted and trained. He broke his maiden easily first out at Woodbine for a claiming price, and eventually between his improved performance in races and my insisting, Mike tried Shabaab at the allowance level and he won a few races.
Unfortunately at the end of the season, Shabaab came up with an injury (a fractured shin). The owners sent him away for surgery and gave him the proper time off. With the help of my fiancé, I was able to buy Shabaab, and he was the first horse I ever owned (racehorse or otherwise). I was so excited. He was also the first horse I ever trained on my own.
The year I bought him I took him to Fairgrounds in Louisiana for the winter and much to my despair he developed another fracture in his shin. I wasn't ready to give up on him though, and when we came back to Canada, he had another surgery, and more time off. I never gave up believing in him, and I knew he loved being a racehorse.
In January of 2012, I took Shabaab and four other horses to Florida for the first time in my career and Shabaab won an allowance race at Gulfstream Park on New Year's Day and in my first ever start in Florida. I was so grateful to Shabaab because his win caught the attention of some owners and that kind of exposure is everything to a young trainer just starting out.
Also, it was so rewarding to see all the time, love and effort that was put into the horse's recovery result in something so great. It gave me confidence that I could get a horse safely back to the races after an injury. Shabaab didn't have a very long career as a racehorse because of his physical issues, but before he retired, another unforgettable memory was saddling him in a stake race in the undercard at Churchill Downs on Derby day.
These days our lives are a lot less fast-paced. Shabaab is content munching on grass in his paddock, getting brushed, and being fed treats whenever I go to visit him at the farm. For me, this is welcome time away from the usual hustle and bustle of the track. A quiet time to relax and reflect on the adventures we had together early on in my career. Shabaab taught me to believe in myself as a trainer and to be tenacious even when the odds seem stacked against you.
He'll always be the first horse to have changed my life!
By Katerina Vassilieva
(c) Ontario Horse Racing 2015. All rights reserved. May not be reproduced without permission.
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