Page 17 - May 2005 The Game

18 The Game, May 2005 Your Thoroughbred Racing Community Newspaper
~ Alberta Racing ~
SILVER DUCK RACING STABLE
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Dion Hoping his horses are Building Blocks
By Jonathan Huntington
Thoroughbred trainers across this country dream of finding guys like Danny Dion.
Based in a small northern Alberta city, Dion has big dreams and plenty of money – in Western Canadian terms – to build a prominent stable in Alberta.
In fact, the 44-year-old Quebec native has invested almost $1 million in the thoroughbred game in the last 16 months.
“I went to Florida (this spring) and
spent $250,000 US on five two-year-olds (in training),” he explained.
“I bought an Awesome Again (foal) ... Awesome Again is the father of Ghostzapper, the horse of the year (in the United States) last year.
“I bought a Lemon Drop Kid (foal) and Lemon Drop Kid made more than $3 million (in his racing career).”
Dion hopes these horses will be key building blocks in his rapidly expanding racing operation at Stampede Park in Calgary and Northlands Park in
Edmonton.
“When I first started,
(racing) was a hobby,” he continued, while sitting at his personal table in the Stampede Park clubhouse in Calgary.
“But about three years ago (I decided) I wanted to treat the horse business like a business.
“But you can’t get serious at this business overnight. It takes a long time to build a barn.
“It takes pretty well three years.
“And I learned one thing in life: I don’t do things half way. I go all the way or I don’t do it.”
Dion is hoping that a horse in his stable will take him all the way to the Kentucky Derby, Preakness or Belmont Stakes sometime in the next 10 years.
“If you don’t have a goal or a dream, you might as well get out of it,” continued the personable racing fanatic.
The French Canadian native was raised “in the last town in Quebec, at the end of the road”, but got out 25 years ago to pursue opportunities in the West.
Life is good in booming Alberta, as Dion’s oilfield company, which is based in Bonnyville, is enjoying success.
If he can have similar success in the racing game – and eventually play against the wealthiest, most powerful owners in the business, it would be a far cry from where he was six years ago.
“I started (in the game) drunk in the bar one night (in 1999) with Morris Normand,” said Dion, a very good story- teller.
“Morris was in the racing business and I wasn’t.
“I gave him $5,000 in cash in the bar that night and $2,000 the next day in cash
CONTINUED NEXT PAGE - SEE DION
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