Page 28 - March 2008 The Game

28 The Game, February 2008 Canada’s Thoroughbred Racing Newspaper
Gone Fishin had perfect name for new owners
Gardiner Stallions on Top
BHy Harlan Abbey
ow many times have you watched a horse race and
horse in 1996 when I went to Fort Erie on my parents’ anniversary and bought New Regime from trainer Don MacRae. I didn’t realize he was a stallion until I bent down to look at his feet.
G
ardiner Farms’ long-time
saw or heard a name that leaped out at you -- a name like your
own or a family member’s, or that described your profession or one of your major interests or hobbies?
“New Regime was a $40,000 Keeneland sales yearling and broke his maiden in 1:09 plus. He ran for seven years -- mostly at ‘bottoms’ -- and had eight wins and 22 in-the-moneys. He’s had 31 foals and is an absolute gentleman. With the help of Tom Boyce and his late wife Moira I learned all about teaching stallions the ropes of
resident stallion, Bold executive (Bold Ruckus - Arctic Vixen), is once again Canada’s leading sire by earnings for 2007 with more than $4 million in earnings. He is also the leading Polytrack sire by earnings in North America eclipsing A.P. Indy by close to $2 million.
Steve Wells and his wife Shirley
rode and became racing fans as
youngsters in England and
continued that interest after
moving to Canada. Steve was
working as a charter boat shing
captain on Lake Erie when Shirley
rst saw the perfectly-named Gone
Fishin on a televised race from
Belmont Park. “The name just
stuck out,” Shirley recalled. “We followed his career; he was a machine of a racehorse who always gave 100 percent, a $210,000 Keeneland two-year-old, a brilliant sprinter- miler competing from ve furlongs to over a mile who
In 2007 Bold Executive added more names to his extensive list of black type winners including multiple stakes winning 2 -year old Krz Exec, and 2-year-old stakes winner Executrix. His chief money earner in 2007 was multiple stakes winner, Legal Move ($222,728).
won or placed in ve graded stakes in Canada and the U.S. and earned just short of $500,000. So when he came up for sale -- we heard about him from Mike Doyle’s (then) assistant, Nancy Sullivan -- we jumped all over it.”
their retired runner Jenny Bug to breed to New Regime eight years ago. The Wells’ farm has 25 head of brood- mares, weanlings, yearlings, runners and Parada, Nicki’s retired show horse. Their top broodmare is Beth’s Expectation, by Valid Expectation. Karr’s “blue hen” is My Fair Charmer by Seattle Dancer out of Slewbopper.
“You have to have a stallion with a good female family that produces stakes winners or stallions,” Karr emphasized, “and we believe Gone Fishin is the best bred stallion in Ontario.” Adds Shirley Wells, “I think a smaller farm can offer more ‘hands-on’ care. We breed to race and with
Steve being a trainer and being at the farm and knowing the horses from the time they are foaled is another advantage.”
Karr also pointed out that “I think stallions are easier to deal with than mares; I’ve had more injuries from young llies or broodmares. The studs are much more consistent in their personalities, and I love the way they look and their arrogance.”
Gone Fishin is by Honor Grades, the beautifully-bred son of Danzig out of the champion race mare and stakes-pro- ducer Weekend Surprise (Secretariat-Lassie Dear), thus a half-brother to A P Indy and Summer Squall. Honor Grades’ top runners include Breeders’ Cup Distaff winner Adoration and millionaires Magna Graduate and Honor Glide. Gone Fishin’s dam, Exangular Lady, has two daughters who have produced stakes winners.
Gone Fishin’s rst foal (out of One-Eyed Queens, a granddaughter of Bold Forbes) is expected in mid-February and his connections believe his offspring especially should be suited to Woodbine’s arti cial surface. The Danzig sire line has proven to be the best on all arti cial surfaces, they note, with some 25 stallions of the line already producing 51 Grade 1 or Group 1 stakes winners on man-made tracks.
After showing considerable promise as a “big handicap horse” an adverse reaction to a routine procedure in 2006 devastated his racing career.
Owned by Shirley Wells and her daughter Nicola Scott, Gone Fishin stands at Jacquie Karr’s Hillside Thoroughbreds in Wellandport, not far from the Wells’ Stone Briar Stables in Wain eet. Gone Fishin, 16.2 hands and 12 years old, shares the “stallion barn” with Karr’s New Regime, 15.3 and 19 years old. Gone Fishin bred 16 mares at the “bargain” fee of $2,000 in his rst year at stud in 2007 while New Regime, a beautiful mover, has a book that includes hunter pony mares.
Philanthropist is bred along the same lines as Rock Hard Ten, both being by Kris S. out of Mr. Prospector mares with Bold Ruler on the female side.
Like the Scotts and their daughter Nicki, Karr also began riding at an early age: “My mother, the late Barbara
Hallet, whipped in for the Hamilton Hunt and was Pony Club district commissioner for Niagara. I didn’t have a
Peaks and Valleys (Mt. Livermore - Strike A Balance, by Green Dancer) was the second leading sire in Canada by 2007 earnings. His rst crop of Ontario foals are yearlings of 2008.
Stallion gone Fishin
breeding, picking broodmares and foaling out mares.” Karr met the Wells’ and Nicki Scott when they brought
Philanthropist (Kris S - Hidden Reserve, by Mr. Prospector) will stand his rst full season at Gardiner Farms in 2008. His a a graded stakes
winner who came out of training in March 2007 and covered 60 mares in 2007 while un-promoted or advertised. His rst foals will arrive this year from his limited 2007 season.
Rock Hard Ten’s rst crop of weanlings were well received, selling at $188,571 on average in the fall of 2007.
TJockey Club Team Visit Farms to Inspect Foaling Status of Broodmares
Extended Summer
trajectory (Gone West - Dream Launch) who was leading third crop sire in 2007 was well represented by the talented multiple stakes winner, Dancer’s Bajan.
he Jockey Club once again tives out to make such inspections. dispatched teams of representa- “Our Registry staff inspected more
meet at Woodbine for 2008 is
tives in late December to numerous farms in six states and one Canadian province to inspect broodmares with early 2007 breeding or foaling dates.
mares this year and found fewer foals than in the past two years,” explained Alan Marzelli, president of The Jockey Club. “These results are consistent with the general trend we’ve seen over the last few years in the reporting of breedings.”
There will be 120 harness racing days at Woodbine with an application to the ORC for no racing on Sundays during the winter meet with the exception of Sundays October 12 to November 2. Standardbred racing will be offered in the winter Thursday, Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays.
ciano cat (Storm Cat - Rare Mint) was the leading rst crop sire in On- tario by 2007 earnings.
The provisions for eld
inspections were approved by The Jockey Club’s Board of Stewards and inserted into Section V of the
Principal Rules and Requirements of The American Stud Book in August 2005 due to the increasing number of Thoroughbred foals reported as being born in the rst several days of January and a concern as to whether these foaling dates were being reported accurately.
Marzelli also said that The Jockey Club will continue with the eld inspections in 2008.
This was the third consecutive year that The Jockey Club sent representa-
The Jockey Club recommends that owners and breeders consult the
online rules book, which is available at http://www.jockeyclub.com/registry. asp?section=3 to access the Principal Rules and Requirements of The American Stud Book.
Standardbred Meet at Mohawk
W
virtually unchanged in terms of race dates, the Standardbred race dates for 2008 will experience quite a change this year.
The Mohawk summer meet which is proving very popular with both fans and horsepeople will be extended to 113 days in 2008. Mohawk will open on May 1 with a Thursday to
Monday schedule concluding on Monday, October 6.
hile the Thoroughbred racing
Where’s the Ring (Seeking the Gold - Wedding Picture) will have
his rst crop of two-year-olds hit the racetracks in 2008. His yearlings sold for up to $75,000 in 2007.
Correction There was an error in the story on Joe Talaga returning to the airwaves. His return to CHML AM900 will begin on Saturday April 5, 2008 not January 5, 2008 as was stated in the January issue of The Game.
The Game February 2008.indd 28
1/28/08 11:17:05 PM