(PHOTO - The new Ontario syndicate that purchased the stallion prospect COLD HARD DASH at the Heritage Place Winter sale in January celebrates. Bryanne Langford is holding the colt's pedigree stall card)
For the seasoned American horsepeople attending the January Heritage Place Winter Mixed sale in Oklahoma City it was a bit of an unusual sight to see a group of excited Canadians high-fiving and cheering.
A large contingent of Ontario’s Quarter Horse people descended upon the annual sale of broodmares, yearlings and horses of racing age on Jan. 19-21 and most of them came home with some new equine prospects.
“We had so much fun at the sale,” said Bryanne Langford, who owns GFR Racing with her partner Jason Pascoe and is a director at Quarter Racing Owners of Ontario Inc. “There were a lot of Ontario people and everyone was very supportive and excited for each other’s purchases.”
One of most intriguing purchases was made by a group of six locals, including Belinda Taggart, Pascoe and Langford, which paid $22,000 (US) for Cold Hard Dash, an impeccably bred, sorrel 4-year-old colt by World Champion and leading sire First Down Dash.
A lightly raced colt out of the Grade 1 winning mare This Snow Is Cold, who earned over $520,000 in her career, Cold Hard Dash was bought by the syndicate as a new stallion prospect for Ontario.
“He’s a fine looking horse with a matching pedigree,” said Taggart, a longtime owner and breeder in Ontario. “We all agree Ontario needs more race-bred Quarter Horse stallions and our group alone has some really nice mares to be bred to him.”
Cold Hard Dash began his career at Sam Houston racetrack in April, 2015 and had a series of fringe placings in trial and maiden races. He won his maiden in his sixth career start in a 330-yard dash at Evangeline Downs in :16.912 for a 90 speed index. The colt had a second-place finish in an allowance race in three starts in 2016.
Langford said the colt could race at Ajax Downs this season but the game plan is to eventually stand him in Ontario for the local breeders.
“It was something we had talked about for a while,” said Langford about purchasing a stud. “There are a lot of Ontario-bred horses racing here but not a lot of Ontario sired horses and we have such a good program here.”
“We hope that a new stallion in Ontario will help get more people breeding here. We want everyone to be successful in this business.”
Owner Marie Broadstock purchased two horses from the sale including a strapping, sorrel gelding named Steel Patriot, offered by the consignment of country singer Toby Keith. The 4-year-old son of Game Patriot is a winner from six races and cost $6,000. Broadstock also purchased the unraced 3-year-old filly Caymen, a daughter of American Runaway, for $7,200.
James Bogar and his Cameron Steel Inc. bought the winning 4-year-old filly Zing Dynasty for $22,000. The filly is a full sister to multiple stakes winner ZZ Dynasty, both being by FDD Dynasty. Bogar also bought another filly, Flaming Lips, a $6,700 daughter of champion Separatist.
Erik and Joyce Lehtinen bought a yearling filly for $5,200 by Ivory James named Enchanted Ivory and Wayne and Carol Proctor also purchased a yearling, a Cartel Success filly for $6,200.
Milena Kwiecien, a relatively new owner who had a big year in 2016 with top runners such as Denali Teller Off and RPainted Pistol, bought a 2-year-old filly by Triple Vodka named Island Vodka and a broodmare, Fire Within, who is in foal to First Prize Stanley.
“When Milena was bidding on Island Vodka and then bought her, the people who bred her had been watching us hugging and high-fiving,” said Langford. “They said it was the best thing they ever saw.”
Langford and another new local owner, Amélie Aubut, also made a stop at Bobby and Stacey Capps’ Training Centre in Vinita, OK to check in on some young horses they have in training.
Aubut’s 2-year-old filly Silky Senator, by Louisiana Senator, is expected to participate in training races at Remington Park in early February. Langford and Pascoe’s filly Cassies Dynasty is being pointed to the Remington Futurity trials in early April. Both fillies will return to Ajax Downs for racing in 2017.
“I am very positive about our Quarter Horse industry in Ontario, most of us are. We all still have that dream of breeding or racing a winner.”
(PHOTO BELOW - ISLAND VODKA, a 2-year-old filly purchased by Milena Kwiecien at the Heritage Place sale poses with Bryanne Langford)
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