By Perry Lefko
Former National Hockey League player Mike Robitaille is enjoying his comeback in the Thoroughbred ownership business with some people who also have hockey backgrounds.
The 71-year-old, who played in the National Hockey League from 1968-1977 and in retirement worked as a broadcaster for the Buffalo Sabres for 33 years and managed Fort Erie Racetrack for three years, has interests in several racehorses – one of which may be retired as a broodmare prospect at the end of this season – and a yearling.
Collectively it’s his biggest investment in owning horses off and on for some 45 years.
Two of his partners are former hockey players: Jim Ensom was a former Ontario Hockey League player who was drafted by Chicago in the 1994 Entry Draft. Randy Exelby was a college player who was selected by Montreal in the 1986 Supplemental Draft. Ensom and Exelby were friends because of their hockey connection.
Trainer Martin Drexler, who has a close association with Ensom, conditions the horses.
“When (Ensom) and I are not talking hockey, we’re looking for horses to claim,” Robitaille said. “I always had one horse by myself and my friends weren’t necessarily big horse racing fans and I couldn’t enjoy the love of the game with other people. What we have now is a social aspect and a friendship – guys that have come together for the love of the game and the action. Jim oversees this nice compact group of guys. He’s the leader and we follow him.
“The nice thing about group ownership instead of single ownership is that there’s not much action owning a horse or two. You can wait a long time to watch them race for a minute and a half. When you become part of a group with several horses, everything opens up. Instead of owning 100% you might own 20% or 30%, whatever percentage you want of that horse we claim we all make that decision.”
Robitaille re-entered the horse racing ownership game last year after an absence of five years.
“It was just a constant wailing around this house (to get back in the game),” Robitaille said. “My wife and kids were getting tired of me saying ‘I miss horse racing. I miss horse racing.’ It’s the only thing that really, really makes me happy. When I retired from broadcasting (in 2014), a lot of advertising stuff came up and travelling and speaking and all I’d do is walk around every day with a
Racing Form in my hip pocket. I’d be going to speak at a banquet and I’d be more concerned about racing. It just pined away and pined away at it.”
He claimed a horse last year with trainer Reade Baker, but Robitaille said it was a losing proposition.
“It had nothing to do with Reade,” Robitaille said. “Either the claim turns out well or it doesn’t and this one didn’t turn out.”
When Baker, a Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Famer, retired earlier this year to pursue a new career as an equine consultant, Robitaille asked Jim Bannon for some advice. Bannon, the well-respected Hall of Fame broadcaster/analyst, and Robitaille go way back. Gerry O’Flaherty, a former teammate of Rovitaille’s in Vancouver, is married to Bannon’s sister. And when Bannon was studying to become a priest at St. Michael’s, his main prefect was Robitaille’s brother, Monsignor Ken Robitaille.
Bannon gave Robitaille a few trainers to consider, one of whom was Ensom because of the hockey background.
“I thought there would be some hockey synergy there – some good, old stories – and having followed Ensom over many years he was always a high-percentage guy,” Bannon said. “He seemed to win often with the chances that he had.”
Robitaille asked Ensom if he knew someone in hockey to call for a reference. Ensom mentioned Lynn Zimmerman, a former minor hockey player who is a friend of his father-in-law.
“The hockey guys are a pretty tight-knit group,” Ensom said.
Robitaille said his number one parameter for associating himself with Ensom was that he had to be involved as a partner in every horse they bought.
“I said ‘if I’m going to get back in this game and put skin into it, I don’t want a horse unless your name is on the claim sheet as one of the owners,’” Robitalle said. “It’s just been a really good relationship with Jimmy.”
It began with Western Trouble, claimed in Keeneland for $20,000 U.S. in April, who ended up winning two races at Woodbine and finishing second in two others before he was claimed for $40,000. Overall, the group, which also included Frank Cirillo and Sadio Maragh, made about $150,000.
“We really had a nice little bundle to start off,” Robitaille said. “We had our butts covered in case there were any mistakes. So there it is again, going back to a group instead of one individual.”
“Once you are playing with the casino’s money it’s a lot more fun, but Mike’s a good guy and I think even if we were breaking even we would have a good time together,” Ensom said. “That we’re making money makes it that much better.”
Robitaille has expanded his interest in a Giant Gizmo colt that Ensom purchased for $27,000 out of the recent Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society Premier Select Yearling Sale.
“We didn’t set out that day thinking that was going to happen, but once one person wanted it that kind of got it moving,” Ensom said. “That’s kind of how we get a lot of our claims. Someone throws out an idea and it evolves from there.”
They also claimed a six-year-old mare, Veil, for $60,000 for racing and potential breeding purposes after this year.
“I feel comfortable with the people I’m around,” Robitaille said. “I’m not going to make the final decision on any claims or broodmares to be bought, but between the four of us I want to be able to have my share of impact. We’ll talk about it, look at it, look at the replays, study it. I’m not bad at this deal. I’ve been doing it since I was 20 years old. I have enough confidence myself. I know what I’m doing. I didn’t fall off the turnip truck.”
Robitaille can’t get to Woodbine to see his horses run as much as he'd like because of a spinal cord disability sustained in hockey, combined with the distance driving to and from his home in Buffalo.
“The night before a race, you’re wound up and your mind is distracted and you’re calling the guys and sharing information,” he said. “The morning of the race, you’re pacing a little bit. I’m not pacing now – I just kind of move my legs – and as the time is getting closer to the race, I hook it up to my big screen TV and a minute and thirty seconds later and it’s over.”
He calls it the best kind of pain relief.
More Top Racing Headlines