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Who is the horse that changed your life? There are so many horses that come to mind with this question. So many horses taught me very different things and helped me on my journey of becoming a jockey. There's Jade Arador, the first horse I ever rode, and Just For Dad, the first horse I ever won a race on. However, to pick that one life-changing horse I will have to go with a horse called Spunky. She very well may be the reason I decided to move my tack to Ontario.
Spunky definitely lived up to her name. She was small in stature, but big on personality and ran her heart out every chance she got. I will never forget that feeling of closing in on the last horse down the lane.
There are other things that make Spunky special. She was my first mount for the late Greg De Gannes and coincidentally from that day forward I found myself in his barn on a fairly regular basis. It was one of my favorite barns and I learned a lot working horses and riding for Greg.
She was also owned by Roger Laurin, son of the famous Lucien Laurin (Secretariat’s trainer). I would go on to work and ride a couple of other horses Roger owned and later trained himself in the years that followed.
My time with Spunky was very brief. I rode her three or four times, winning two races with her that autumn (2008). After that, she went to race in New York where she was claimed and went on to be a pretty handy little runner. I know she changed barns a few times and I eventually lost track of her.
I always think that I've never met a horse more suited to their name. She was in a word a very ‘Spunky’ little horse, the kind of horse any rider loves to ride because she always ran her heart out.
Horses like her are the reason I fell in love with this game. I don't care if they run for $1,500 at Marquis Downs or in Grade 1 stakes races in New York. There are horses in this business that love their job so much you can't help but be inspired by them.”
By Krista Carignan, for Ontario Racing
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