(PHOTO - STRAWFLY FORTUNE, a top Quarter Horse racer, is now a stakes calibre-producing mare)
The horse that changed my life
A lot of horses have come in and out of the life of Kim Ito, former Quarter Horse jockey-turned trainer and business owner.
From that first pony named Pepper to the thousands of horses she has raced or trained, Ito has worked with many special equines.
That is why when asked about the horse that changed her life, Ito had to include two friends: Strawfly Fortune and One Kool Bud.
Ito rode in horse shows from the age of 11 while growing up in Cobourg, ON and later took up eventing which was a successful sport for Ito.
A deep love for horses, aside, Ito knew she had to earn a living and she turned to Quarter Horse racing in 1999 when she took out her jockey license. Ito won almost 500 races, 39 stakes events and some $2.6 million in purses, impressive numbers for a jockey in an industry much smaller than the Thoroughbred and Standardbred sides.
She has been a trainer since 2011 and co-owns a training centre and tack shop called DK Training Centre and Tack and Supply. Strawfly Fortune, owned by her father Don, rates high on the list of Ito's life-changing horses for many reasons.
"We picked her out of the [Oklahoma] Heritage Winter Sale for under $5,000,” said Ito about the now-15-year-old mare. "She won stakes at Picov Downs and in Michigan: she was wicked fast and tough as nails. She still is."
Strawfly Fortune is now a broodmare for Ito and a good one with foals such as stakes calibre runners such as Kissmystarry Dash and Jesskissmytexas.
As for One Kool Bud, a foal of 2003, the Ontario-bred owned by William Taggert helped put Ito on the map as one of the country's best Quarter Horse jockeys.
"My most memorable ride of my life came on her," said Ito. "She stumbled leaving the gate in the Alex Picov Futurity and I thought we were out of it. After three strides she caught up again and opened up. In the winners circle both her nostrils were full of dirt from plowing into the track surface."
One Kool Bud has passed on her speed to her foals as she produced champion One Kool Wave for the Itos.
"I guess for me, [the horses that changed my life] are not just the horses that are running this year and next with courage and heart but also those that give the gift to later generations which we can celebrate in turn.
(PHOTO BELOW - ONE KOOL BUD, with Kim Ito on board, was a "machine" on the track - New Image Media Photo)
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