Page 16 - September 2005 The Game

16 The Game, September 2005 Your Thoroughbred Racing Community Newspaper
Katja Ulm, Peter and Danny Mueller with retired 9-year-old gelding, Catchacoma, at their Queensvalley Farm near Owen Sound.
Hip No. 3 at the CTHS Select Yearling Sale, One Way Love bay colt out of the mareVinona (IRE) owned by Queensvalley Farm. Queensvalley Farm is also the agent for Janis Maine and Reade Baker’s SelectYearlings including Hip No. 53, Closer to Home,
a bay filly by Cat’s At Home - Closerthanyouthink, dam of stakes winner ElusiveThought (Elusive Quality)
Foreign Roots with Heart for Canada
When Peter Mueller and Katja Ulm immigrated to Canada in 2002 they brought with them a vision of owning a successful thoroughbred breeding farm. With a love of the industry and sheer commitment, the couple are enjoying their start-up success and are eager to expand their client base.
Although Peter and Katja lived in the same town of Aarau in Switzerland, their paths did not cross until just over a decade ago.
Peter was born and raised in the village located just outside of Zurich, where he went to school and studied to become an accountant. At age 20, he started an accounting business with his brother which spanned nearly two decades before leaving to move to Canada.
Katja was born in Berlin in East Germany and immigrated with her family to Switzerland at the age of seven. She began taking riding lessons when she was eleven and it was because of her pony racing days that she began exercising race- horses at age fifteen at the farm of Urs Feller, a horseman who has since immigrated to Ontario and is no longer involved in the horse business.
The pony races were held on the same day as thoroughbred racing and some of the trainers were looking for experienced riders to help with their horses.
Katja became a thoroughbred owner herself when she and her jockey friend Melanie bought a loveable gelding who unfortunately wasn’t very fast.
Katja worked full time as a graphic and web page designer for Limmatdruck, a company that did package printing and design however it was a horse that would be the key to Katja’s future.
Melanie and Katja picked out a three- year-old filly named Crazy Lady who went on to win 2 races in her 2 year racing career. She was retired in 1995 and Katja
wanted to breed her while Melanie wanted her as a dressage prospect. The decision was made that Peter would buy out Melanie’s half and Crazy Lady was bred to the stallion Art Sebal.
The mare’s first foal was a colt in 1996. At that time Peter and Katja were already planning their move to Canada and a map of Ontario provided them with the perfect name for their foal, Catchacoma, which is a lake just North of Peterborough.
Catchacoma won 2 races at age 2 and after his 3 year-old campaign in Switzerland the couple moved him to Paris, France where he thrived under the care of English trainer Richard Gibson. He won 5 races including a Stakes race before being sold at the age of six to California trainer Neil Drysdale, who purchased him for U.S. clients. He competed in the Gr.1 Charles Whittingham Memorial Stakes at Hollywood Park and placed seventh. In his next start, a stakes prep race, he chipped his knee.
During this time, in 2002, Peter and Katja, along with Peter’s two teenage sons, Danny and Kevin, immigrated to Canada to begin their new life and their new breeding business.
In the years prior, Peter and Katja had befriended, via email, trainer Reade Baker and his wife Janis Maine. They had sought the advice of Reade and Janis and eventually met them while vacationing in Florida which provided them with valuable insight into the thoroughbred industry in Canada.
It was an old business school friend of Peter’s who had immigrated years earlier that helped the couple choose the area of Queens Valley, located just south of Owen Sound, for their destination in Canada. And with the help of the internet they were able to find and purchase the 94 rolling acres of an old cattle farm for their new home.
Catchacoma was given back to Peter and Katja upon his retirement that winter and he
joined the three mares which were already on the farm.
Two mares were brought over from Switzerland: Crazy Lady, in foal with Catchacoma’s full brother (by Art Sebal), as well as a Singspiel mare Vinona (IRE) who was also in foal to Art Sebal. Shortly after their arrival in Canada, a third mare, Picked, was purchased at the Mixed Sale in Ontario in foal to Slew City Slew.
The first foals for Queensvalley Farm were all colts and the couple decided to name them after the Three Muskateers. They are all two-year-olds in 2005:
Portos, by Art Sebal - Crazy Lady, is the full brother to Catchacoma and is currently in training in Guelph getting ready for his racetrack debut.
Artagnan, by Slew City Slew - Picked, went through the yearling sale and was purchased for Arthur Barkin by agent Reade Baker.
And Athos, by Art Sebal - Vinona (IRE), was purchased out of the open yearling sale by trainer John MacKenzie.
Queensvalley Farm is in full operation and with three years now under their belt the couple are enjoying their new life in Canada.
There are currently 14 horses at the farm including their four mares and two foals, along with Catchacoma and his gelding buddy, Spitz Bub (Bubba) from Longrun. They also have six yearlings for this year’s select and preferred sales.
The rolling hills of the farm help with the development of the youngsters along with their Odyssey Performance Trainer and the couple have plans to add a separate yearling barn with 15 stalls in the near future.
“We chose this farm because of the rolling hills for the horses.” said Peter explaining that the hills are a natural way for the horses to keep fit.
“It is beautiful here and there is lots of space.” said Peter, quite matter of fact. “Canada is the best country in the world.” and Katja added, “Everyone has been very helpful to us.”
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Pilot Program for Groom School Launched! Employers Wanted!
Equine Guelph has launched their pilot Groom course to help train newcomers for entry level positions in the rac- ing industry. The program, which quickly sold out, trained 20 new grooms on August 27 and 28 during the two-day pilot held in Puslinch, Ontario at Sunrise Therapeutic Riding and Learning Centre.
With the two-day program completed, the participants
are now being assisted in finding jobs within the industry. An online educational program will be launched as the second phase of this program which culminates with a skills test and a Certificate of Completion. The expected duration of the online portion and accompanying job training is 6 months.
Jobtrack, Equine Guelph's online job posting centre is available for both potential employers and grooms to assist with making the match.
Pilot program students from diverse backgrounds and locations (including Toronto, Mount Pleasant, Guelph, Hamilton, St. Catharines, Trenton, Simcoe and Tillsonburg) received two full days of skills teaching and horse care instruction, which also included a night of entertainment at Mohawk Racetrack.
For more information, contact Gayle Ecker, Equine Guelph (519-824-4120, ext. 56678) or John Walzak, OHHA and Chair, Equine Guelph Education Committee (905-858-5854).
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