Page 16 - Canada Spring 2019

TOUGHIE Aged Champion
by Kathy McNiven
Her stats read:
TOUGHIE SI 109
(Stel Corona-Hard Lining)
• Chestnut mare born 3/18/13 • 26 starts, 17 wins, 4 seconds
and 1 third
• Graded stakes winner
• Earnings - $189,830 U.S
• 2016 AQHRA Champion 3
year old, 2017 AQHRA Reserve Champion Aged, 2018 AQHRA Champion Aged
• Breeder- Edward C. Allred • Owner- Charles G. Stojan • Trainer- William Leech
• Jockey- Ricardo Moreno
Impressive stats, but that doesn’t tell the whole story of Toughie.
Sarah Stojan says, “It was a bittersweet day on October 14, 2018, when trainer William Leech led Toughie to the paddock for her last race.” Toughie had taken the Stojan family and her fans on an exciting 4 year ride.
Toughie was purchased at the
Los Alamitos Yearling Sale in 2014 from Edward Allred’s barn by Charles (Chuck) Stojan through
his friend Charles Treece, of 30+ years. Chuck had taken notice of her in a sales catalog. He liked her Sire Stel Corona. He also liked her bottom side – she was a full sister to a gelding called Unchangeable, who was a graded stakes placed winner of $220,710. Her dam, Hard Lining has produced $190,000 worth of yearlings sold at yearling sales.
What he didn’t know until later is that she was small.
After the sale, Chuck then sent her to the Firth Ranch in California for breaking, where she apparently lived up to her name.
It wasn’t until her second 220- yard work that people started to take notice of this gritty little filly. She worked in 12.1 seconds – very quick at Los Alamitos. Her first start was May 8, 2015, at Los Alamitos, where she won by 1 1/4-lengths. Toughie then started in a trial
for the million dollar Ed Burke Futurity. Another win. She qualified for the final. She then went up against the best 2 year olds on the west coast and ran sixth, winning $50,000 USD.
It was time to move to Alberta to trainer William Leech and jockey Ricardo Moreno, who would both be
Toughie wins the RMTC Bonus Challenge Alberta Aged Series at Rocky Mountain Turf Club.
16 SPEEDHORSE CANADA, Spring 2019
Coady Photography