Page 6 - October 2005 The Game

6 The Game, October 2005 Your Thoroughbred Racing Community Newspaper
Joseph Bakos
August 22, 1934 - August 20, 2005
Joseph Bakos was cremated on what would have been his seventy-first birthday on August 22, 2005 after succumbing to the cancer which spread throughout his body on August 20, 2005 at Trillium Health Centre in Mississauga.
Joe’s wife Vera, says she is missing her husband of 35 years, commenting that the only time they weren’t together was when Joe was at the racetrack in the morning. They spent the remainder of their day together, the majority of which was at the races in the afternoon. Vera mentioned that after his good friend J.C. Meyer passed away, Joe took a turn for the worst. She commented that the two of them, who have a tremendous history together, are now together again along with his favourite labrador dogs from Dr. McMartin’s farm.
There were many people on the backstretch at Woodbine who knew Joe and the terrific person that he was:
Woodbine Clocker, Charlie Danbrook, had known Joe for the past 42 years. The lightweight seventeen year old was introduced to Joe on the day that J.C. Meyer picked him up at the entrance gate to gallop horses.
“Having been around him was an education in itself.” said Charlie, “He looked after me and made sure I wasn’t getting on anything I couldn’t handle. He also told me ‘if you don’t like losing, then
don’t bet on the horses.’
“You could always tell his moods by the
look in his eyes. If he was standing there smiling, you knew something was up.
“My most vivid memory of Joe was seeing him going down the shed row after training in his red bathing suit and flip flops. He was always tanned. He’d go down the shed with his ‘shoe box’ of liniments and a clip board and do-up all the horses for J.C.
“The best part, the most comical part was after the races when J.C. would get Joe shook up. They would argue about any- thing and everything. It was entertaining.
“ Joe was as dedicated to his horses as he was to his family. That is a tough balancing act but he did it.
“ A lot of what Joe said to me didn’t make sense until I got older and one third of anything I’ve accomplished was through him. I am going to miss him as much as his family will. I mean it sincere- ly.”
“Joe was very special,” said Pattie Armstrong in the Race Office, “He’d do anything for you. Even if he couldn’t do it, he’d find somebody who could.
“He’s been everything at the racetrack, a trainer, a jockey....but he didn’t mind being a hotwalker too. He never had a chip on his shoulder.
Joe Bakos was ‘the Godfather’ this past Father’s Day in June.
“He’d always make you laugh. Even if you were cranky he’d put a smile on your face. He was special.”
Joe spent the last few years working with trainer Sam DiPasquale and trainer Lorna Perkins knew him quite well from the barn, “He watched the races everyday and he knew what happened in every race. He could tell you ‘who won’ and ‘who did what’. Whatever happened that day he would always give me a rundown of the races.
“Joe was always the first one in the barn. He was great. He would spend hours cleaning the barn. He took great pride in the barn,
“He was a real character. You could always rely on him. He’d always help you out.”
A special memorial service for Joseph was held at Woodbine and it was overflowing with family and friends who came to pay their respects for the loss of a great person. The following was written by Vera and their daughter Barbara and was read at the service:
Joseph Bakos
Born August 22, 1934
Joe was born in Maglod, Hungary, a
suburb of Budapest. Joe escaped Hungary in 1956 during the Revolution and made his way to France. From France the refugees were sent to Nova Scotia, they arrived in Canada on December 26, 1956. Joe was accompanied by another Hungarian fellow who stood 6’ plus and there was little Joe (5’1”). either Joe nor the other fellow spoke English and they knew nothing about Canada. When they were shown a map of Canada and asked where they would like to go, they pointed to the middle of the country, as they wanted to be as far away from the Russians as possible! They ended up being sent to Regina Saskatchewan. Joe had served two compulsory years in the Russian Army, after Russia invaded Hungary.
When they arrived in Regina they found themselves being the last two refugees waiting to be placed with a family. A Dutch family by the name of DeJong owned a pastry shop and when they learned the tall fellow was a pastry chef they decided to choose him to join their family. They had five young children and when the children realized Joe was going to be left behind they started to cry and said they wanted the little guy too! Needless to say, the parents agreed and Joe joined this loving family.
Joe ended up working in their pastry shop. However, when Mrs. DeJong learned that Joe had been a jockey in Hungary, she started writing letters to various race tracks across Canada. The only person to respond was a Mr. Johanson in Calgary. Joe made his way to Calgary in the spring, he didn’t end up riding there but groomed and exercised the horses at the track and at the ranch. This was a start!
Then Mrs. DeJong got word about the Ontario racing circuit and Joe moved to Toronto. No one ar Greenwood would hire him because he didn’t speak English, until one day he met J.C. Meyer!
We were very grateful to the DeJong Family, for their love and efforts to help start Joe’s life in Canada and his racing career. One of the young DeJong children who cried to keep Joe, Simon, became a Member of Parliament and years later found Joe for his mother who often won- dered what hap- pened to “Little
Joe”.
Also, many
thanks to (the late) J.C. Meyer for giv- ing Joe the oppor- tunity to start his career in Ontario.
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Willow Ridge Farm would like to extend our sincerest gratitude to all the buyers and their trainers who made our very first consignment a HUGE SUCCESS!
Hip # 9 - Bold Executive - Win Du Jour Sold for $62,000 to Mr. & Mrs. J. Sapara
Hip # 69 - Tethra - Dysart Boschiella Sold for $7,000 to Mr. P. Buttigieg
Hip # 132 - Perigee Moon - Mosella Sold for $15,000 to Mr. M. Stroud
Hip # 294 - Bold Executive - Early Delivery
Sold for $41,000 to Mr. K. Pettifer, Mr. K. Parsley & Valiant Stable
Hip # 359 - Kinshasa - Love Disarmed Sold for $11,000 to Mr. V. Armata
We wish all the new owners the greatest success in the coming years and we look forward to seeing you in the winner’s circle
- Bill & Bonnie Rowntree, Willow Ridge Farm 519-369-5433
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