The return to racing by the reigning Horse of the Year in Ontario, Country Boy 123, highlights two star-studded Picov Maturity Trial races on Sunday May 21 at Ajax Downs.
A total of 16 horses were entered in the pair of 300-yard dashes. The top fastest 10 horses will advance to the June 4 final which is worth $50,000.
(Photo at right, Country Boy 123 by New Image Media)
Virtually every top older horse that Ontario Quarter Horse fans have seen in recent years will be in action in the Trials. Four of them won Horse of the Year titles and three will square off against each other in the first Trial, scheduled as race six on an exciting afternoon of racing.
Country Boy 123, who is in the second trial as race seven, won six of eight races as a 3-year-old in 2016 for his owner Ruth Barbour of Hillsburgh, ON and trainer Bryn Robertson. The giant, chocolate-coloured gelding won the Picov Derby and the Adequan Ajax Derby Challenge. The gelding got a chance to race against the best in North America in the $200,000 at Los Alamitos racetrack in Orange County, California and he finished a close fourth, just one length behind American star Jess Good Reason.
“Last year he looked like a big kid,” said Barbour of Hillsburgh, ON. “He feels so different his year. He’s a man, he’s massive.”
It won’t be an easy task for Country Boy and his rider Cory Spataro as the gelding drew post position one and there are seven tough rivals to his outside including the very dangerous Alakazaam from Full Circle Racing of Greg and Sue Watson of Bethany, ON and Brian Cummings of Pickering.
The three Horses of the Year competing in the first Trial are the popular, almost white 9-year-old One Kool Wave, whose undefeated season as a 2-year-old in 2010 made him the first ever juvenile to win the overall Champion award.
Owned by DK Training and breeder Robert Bailey, One Kool Wave wil be making his first star of 2017 He won two of four strats last season and has won 21 races in his career. He is trained by Don Reid and Brian Bell will ride. The 2013 Horse of the Year Ona Famous Glass is also in the field. Trained by Bryn Robertson for Carol Robertson, Jaime Robertson and Dr. Charle Hall, One Famous Glass is a 14-time winner who won the $88,000 Alex Picov Memtorial Championship in his last start on Oct. 10. Tony Phillips returns to ride.
And Fiesty Icon, the 2015 Horse of the Year for Rick Kennedy, lines up bside One Kool Wave and One Famous Glass in the same trial. The 5-year-old has won nine of 18 races including last year's Ontario Sires Stake Maturity. Cary Furlonger is his regular rider.
There are also two trials for the AQHA Maiden Challenge Stakes on the card. The 330-yard dashes are for maidens, 3-years-old and upward and the fastest qualifiers will compete in its June 4 final
Post time for the first of eight races at Ajax on Sunday is 12:55 p.m.
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