The thrill of competition, the excitement of the crowd, the purse money up for grabs, the glory of victory. There are many reasons why the sport of horse racing has endured the test of time.
But more than anything, perhaps, is when the gates spring open, anything is possible.
A longshot could come out of nowhere to win, a favourite could do exactly what everyone expects it to do and dominate, or any other number of infinite possibilities could occur.
It’s why, for over 350 years, people have wagered on the outcome of a horse race, why breeders endlessly strive to produce faster, stronger horses and why the sport continues to capture the imagination of people worldwide.
The unknown can be quite alluring.
And more so than in any other sport, horse racing lives in the unknown.
This Saturday, 12 three-year-old colts and one filly that were foaled in Canada will compete in the 165th running of the $1 million King’s Plate at Woodbine Racetrack.
The 13 horses’ names are now known worldwide as competitors in the crown jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown, but not long ago no one, not their breeders, owners, trainers or caretakers, knew if any of them would go on to become racehorses in the first place.
“It would be like a gambler. If you knew which horse was going to win, gambling wouldn’t exist because everybody would bet on the same horse,” said Dr. Moira Gunn of Paradox Farm, who bred the No. 11 horse in Saturday’s King’s Plate, Roar of the Crowd (Reload – Uproar, by Hail the Ruckus).
Dr. Gunn was recently inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in the builder category and as part of Paradox Farm she is a longtime breeder of both Standardbred and Thoroughbred racehorses, including 2014 Queen’s Plate winner Lexie Lou.
Despite her Hall of Fame credentials, however, Dr. Gunn still hasn’t been able to pinpoint the secret to breeding a champion. In fact, she doesn’t believe there’s any secret at all.
“We pick our mares based on the quality of their pedigree, their racing experience and the way they physically look or have been athletes, and from there you pick the best stallion to match the pedigree, the phenotypical [observable physical properties] style of the mare and what you’re looking for in racing results – short, long, grass, dirt – and then you breed them,” said Dr. Gunn.
“You pray they get pregnant, stay pregnant and land a healthy foal. And after they foal, sometimes an ugly duckling foal can turn into a magnificent individual, and sometimes a magnificent foal can go on to be a gorgeous yearling and never make it to the racetrack. So, I can honestly say we never have any idea.”
And therein lies the true beauty of the sport. From the very outset, you just never know.
Thus, more than anything else, horse racing is a sport that’s fueled by the passion of the people involved.
Famed father-son duo Bill and Al Ulwelling have a couple of horses they own competing in Saturday’s King’s Plate in Jokestar (Practical Joke – Starmaline, by Star Guitar) and Pierre (Tapiture – Archerette, by Arch).
Jokestar will have the rail coming out the gate with Post 1, while Pierre is coming out of Post 8 in the middle of the pack.
The Ulwellings obviously want both of their horses to do well, but having Jokestar competing in the big race is admittedly a little more special for them because he is a homebred.
“When we ran a few other of our homebreds, like Velocitor, I was more than vocal that it means much more to us, personally,” said Al Ulwelling. “It meant so much more because we picked the breed, we wait the 11 months while they’re in the mother, we get all the details of them growing up, we know about them, we know the characteristics of them. It just means so much more than going to a sale, buying somebody else’s horse and doing really well with it or getting lucky.
“So, to us, it means way more being a homebred. And our racing is leaning towards homebreds. We do buy out of the sales, but we’re looking at bringing in a few more of our mares this year than we did last year, and it’s much more fulfilling for us to win big races with homebreds, for sure.”
Velocitor won last year’s Prince of Wales Stakes for the Ulwellings, and they’re hoping to strike it big again with another homebred of theirs at the King’s Plate with Jokestar.
A quiet horse until he gets into the gate, the Ulwellings have a lot of confidence in Jokestar despite the 20-1 morning odds he has been given.
“I actually feel pretty good, to be honest,” said Al Ulwelling of Jokestar, “His mother was going to be a good horse. She was a big, striding horse and Jokestar is the same way. It’s just he’s taken a little bit longer to develop.”
The confidence the UIlwellings have in Jokestar comes from the passion they poured into raising him from birth.
On the other side of the coin, however, that passion can turn into some serious nerves, particularly when the weight of expectation is added to it all.
My Boy Prince (Cairo Prince – Hopping Not Hoping, by Silent Name) drew Post 7 for Saturday’s King’s Plate and, thanks to a dominant 2024 season that’s seen him win three times out of four starts, is the prohibitive 7-5 morning odds favourite to take the first leg of the Triple Crown.
There will be tremendous pressure on My Boy Prince Saturday, and all his connections hope for is that he’s able to perform at his best.
“Year after year, Hopping Not Hoping throws great looking foals. You can only hope they inherit the tenacity, work ethic and determination that Hopping Not Hoping displayed in her short racing career,” said My Boy Prince breeder Murray Graham Smith.
“We are very proud of what My Boy Prince has accomplished and wish [owner] Gary Barber and [trainer] Mark Casse the best on Saturday. I will be there cheering him on all the way.”
Seeing the culmination of years of work enter a race as large and prestigious as the King’s Plate is as flattering as it is nerve-wracking. But it’s only this case because Smith and everyone else involved with My Boy Prince truly care.
The sport of horse racing is a lot of fun, and the aspect of the unknown is a major part of that, but what truly keeps bringing people back to the track is simply the equine athletes themselves, and the remarkable people that help guide them.
“I think, for me, my entire career has been driven by the love of the horse,” said Dr. Gunn, reflecting on her Hall of Fame career. “You work hard, you enjoy what you do, the passion of being with horses, trying to breed the best animals you can. Certainly, my late husband, [Dr. Michael Colterjohn, also a member of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame], and I were driven to produce the best horses we could and improve the Ontario Sired horses as much as we could by bringing in quality stallions, helping other breeders.
“So, you live and work your career with that passion, and if along the way, and later in your career, your peers recognize your efforts it is both not expected, and yet you’re full of gratitude. It is just kind of a momentous moment that you realize maybe the way you lived and worked hard and kept your passion for the horse was a wonderful thing.”
Passion and commitment in any field is important, but in a sport as beautifully unpredictable as horse racing is it’s everything and will overcome any obstacle in the way, including climbing a mountain such as the King’s Plate.
FEATURED PHOTO: My Boy Prince in training. (Michael Burns Photo)
IN-LINE PHOTO 1: Roar of the Crowd in training. (Michael Burns Photo)
IN-LINE PHOTO 2: Jokestar in training. (Michael Burns Photo)
IN-LINE PHOTO 3: My Boy Prince and jockey Sahin Civaci winning the Plate Trial Stakes on July 20, 2023 (Michael Burns Photo)
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