Page 4 - May 2005 The Game

4 The Game, May 2005 Your Thoroughbred Racing Community Newspaper
Obituary ~ Leif Jorn Hempel
Living life to the fullest is something that every one of us should strive to do. The late Leif Hempel surely knew how to get the most out of life and according to the eulogy given by his son, Thor, Leif lived an exciting and adventure filled life.
Thor spoke of his father at a memorial service held on April 2, 2005, almost one month after his father passed away peacefully on March 4 while away in Thailand where he was seeking refuge from another Canadian winter.
“We know of his passion for thoroughbred horses, but he had an even greater passion to live life to it’s fullest!”, Said Thor.
Described by some as “a nice gentle Dane”, Leif Hempel migrated to Canada from Denmark in 1954. He left behind what would have been a comfortable life of working for the family’s successful business, to find his own adventures in life.
He arrived in Canada with a thousand dollars and a willingness to work. He also had a love of horses and made frequent visits to Dufferin racetrack.
Leif first encountered the world of horseracing at the age of twelve, when he was driven to the racetrack by the family chauffeur despite the firm warning of his father that “racing is the root of all evil”.
Cashing in on a quinella bet that paid 200-1, the young lad was convinced that his father was wrong, until on subsequent visits to the track, lady luck looked the other way and Leif found himself losing all the money he had won along with the money from the sale of his bicycle and everything he had in his piggy bank.
In Toronto Leif worked for the Pepsi Cola company and was also a street car operator for the
T.T.C. He met his soon to be wife, Vivi, who had also immigrated to Canada from Denmark in 1957. In 1962, Leif joined his Denmark-based family business as a licensee and over the course of eight years he was successful enough to “sell out while the game was good” and take a capital gain.
It was during that time in 1965 that Leif found himself at the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society Sale at Woodbine. And with what Vivi described as “some daring and a little alcoholic stimulant”, Leif became a horse owner, and one thousand dollars lighter. This was the first of many horses Leif would own.
Leif sought the talents of a number of trainers to condition his horses including Bobby Fisher, who provided him with his first winner with, Popsaysno. Trainer Orlando Massarelli had Minmognovich and Jammed Red. Trainer Glenn Magnusson and trainer John Moir Jr. also had Hempel horses, Canadian Statute and Winning Shot Jr. respectively. Not long after his initial purchase, Leif had 39 winners and was showing a profit.
One of his more memorable horses was a claim he made for $9500, for a 4-year-old colt by Nearctic named Battling. Battling went on to be a top-notch turf runner in stakes company.
Some of his more recent winners include Allowance winner, Rosa de Abril (CHI) and Danish Fairytale (DEN) trained by Earl Barnett at Woodbine.
Vivi Hempel has plans to continue to run Danish Fairytale this year under the colours of her late husband and says that she is unsure whether she will
race or sell the 2-year-old Kiridashi filly which Leif also owned at the time of his passing.
The eulogy summed up the life of Leif Hempel as a person who “engaged the company of High Society and worked along side the working class, sharing his table with the peasants.”
Leif was a man who had friends of all kinds the world over and at the time of his death in Phuket, Thailand, he was likely very much at peace.
The memorial service was attended by close family and friends including Leif and Vivi’s two sons, Thor and Michael as well as grandchildren Sarah, Brandon and Katrina.
And at the end of the service, in accordance with Danish custom, there were three HURRAHS for the man who was a Prince in the Sport of Kings.
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Horse owner Leif Hempel
Left - Vivi Hempel will continue to run Danish Fairytale in her late husband’s colours which are proudly displayed on the statue in front of their home in Milton.
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