Page 27 - April 2005 The Game

Your Thoroughbred Racing Community Newspaper The Game, April 2005 27
Visit The Horse Racing Hall of Fame Be.Cauz:
Bettors can not go wrong with Wright!
Tommy Wolski
"It's Toronto's best kept secret."
So says Louis Cauz about the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame of which he is the managing director. Located in the north west corner of Woodbine Racetrack, the Hall is by-passed each day by hundreds more intent on getting to the nearest betting machine.
The Hall of Fame has actually been honoring bodies since 1976, but it wasn't until Woodbine underwent massive renovations in the late 90s that a physical structure was created .
graphical information for only 216 of them.
The jockeys' wall is alive with photographs of the two greatest men to ride in Canada, Avelino Gomez and Sandy Hawley, There's a vintage shot of George Woolf, looking almost as handsome as Gary Stevens who played him the movie Seabiscuit. Near that we find the image of Johnny 'Red" Pollard, the regular ride of Seabiscuit. Also on the wall is Larry Attard,
and Don Macbeth and Hugo Dittfach.
Aside from the fascinating people and horses who
"We were inducting people every year," says Cauz, "You got a small plaque and certificate, but there was no place to show you had been inducted."
Now there is. There's about 2000 square feet of brightly lit rooms that allow a visitor to connect horse racing's past with its present. Cauz, 72, has the resume to run this place. He was handicapping the races for the Globe and Mail back in 1966, is the author of The Plate; A Royal Tradition, and as official scorer at Blue Jays home games, is the guy to blame when Vernon Wells isn't credited with a hit.
Cauz took me on a tour of the Hall and it is just packed with highlights of Canada's rich racing history.
On the Wall of Legends we see Windfields, one of the first big stars for E.P. Taylor. Windfields won the Victoria Stakes and breed- ers Stakes at Old Woodbine and was so loved, that Taylor's National Stud Farm changed its name to Windfields Farm. Other panels pay tribute to Willie Morrisey who owned Bunty Lawless, recognized as horse of the first half century in Canada, and Elizabeth Arden Graham, the first woman represent- ing thoroughbreds to enter the Hall. Famous as she was for her cosmetics industry, Arden Graham went on to become the leading owner in North America.
The Windfields Farm owned Queensway
The late Avelino Gomez & Jockey Sandy Hawley
“Old” Woodbine, 1928
King George and Queen Elizabeth at the King’s Plate in 1939
wrote unforgettable passages in horse racing history, Cauz also found himself with artifacts that he wouldn't let disappear.
"We had all these old race programs, all these great pictures," he tells me,"So we made them into wallpaper and, for a price, any track in Canada can have this to put on display."
As wallpaper goes, this is wonderful stuff. There's an old map of Toronto with every ancient track identified. At one time or another, there were as many as 16 different ovals in the area. The Bend was a track that connected Toronto Island with the mainland. In 1798, Elizabeth Simcoe, the Governor's wife, initiated race meets on that strip.
"We had the Leger Course right at Spadina and College," says Cauz, "The Hillcrest Park was at Davenport and Bathurst, the Toronto Driving Park at Gladstone and Queen, and Long Branch operated until 1955."
I'm stunned to see pictures of racing at Exhibition Park. Apparently until 1938, they ran both thoroughbreds and harness races there.
It's the really old pictures that grab your eye; a rendition of the 1870 Queen's Plate in Whitby, a full house at Old Woodbine from 1928 before they put a roof on the outdoor stands, another shot from the 20s showing how a race began before the invention of the starting gate.
There's a picture of Casa Camara, who won the last uncontested walkover, the Diamond Ring stakes in 1947 as the lone entrant because no one would dare run against her. And Cauz points out the tribute to Queensway, the first filly to win the Canadian Triple Crown, long before it was called a triple crown.
"In 1932, as a three-year-old filly, she won the King's Plate, the Prince of Wales and the Breeders Stakes in the space of 14 days, says Cauz his voice filled with admiration,
"These days they do it over a six week period."
The Canadian Hall of Fame already has about 334 inductees, though right now there are pictures and bio-
Cauz draws me to a large picture of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth riding in an open car down the track at the 1939 King's Plate. Another eye-filling picture is from the 1949 King's Plate, showing how 76-1 shot Filsis had to load outside the gate, which wasn't big enough to accommodate the bulky field. Might have been an advantage - Filsis finished 3rd.
There's a great photograph from the first days in 1956 at Woodbine called Daring Photographer Eludes Galloping Field.
"Look at the cement blocks holding the rail in place," instructs Cauz,.....
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When they open the gates this season at Hastings Racecourse, one of the biggest stories to have developed the past winter is the amazing comeback of Nicola Wright.
For many it was assumed her career was over since her horrific racing accident, while riding Mister Mane Man in the $100,000 Lieutenant Governor's Stakes on Canada Day of last year.
Wright’s multiple injuries included a broken knee and strained muscles in her neck.
It was an accident that would not only keep her off horses nine months, it also kept Wright on crutches for nearly six of those months.
When asked about that spill, she will tell you, injuries are part of the sport.
While it is something you try to never think about, the mere fact is accidents do happen and rarely do they stop jockeys from bouncing right back into the
saddle.
As for her recall of that Canada day race, she blames no one but lady luck.
She also has learned that whatever will be, will be and for her it is to return as one of the top riders at Hastings racecourse this year.
To get to that point, Wright
spent the better part of the last
six months, working with
physiotherapist Nico Berg at the Lynn Valley Physio Clinic.
“Nico has been fantastic, he made me work hard which was great, but Nico also knew how much I wanted to return to riding.” said Wright.
After receiving the go ahead to begin exercising horses in the morning from Berg, her next decision was her most difficult from both a business and mostly personal standpoint.
Last season, I lost my agent and close friend Marty Kelly to cancer. The mere idea of having to hire a new agent was tough.“ said Wright.
Because of the uncertainty of Wright’s return to riding after last years accident, when it came to agents approaching her, they stayed away from her as if she had the plague.
Then a few months ago, Wright received a telephone call from Paul Abbott, a trainer she had ridden for in the past.
It could not have come at a better time for both. “His (Paul’s) call was reminiscence of how Marty and I had gotten together through a simple phone call he made to me.” said Wright. “When Paul, rung me up and mentioned he would like to take a break from training and work for me as my agent. He was a hard worker like myself. I told him sure lets give it a go. I am sure we will be just fine.” adds Wright.
Aside from riding, Wright can often be seen working within the community promoting not only her role as a jockey but also the sport of horse racing.
“When management asks if I would not mind helping them out with things like that, I always say yes, but I sure would love for some of the other riders to join me. It is something I would love to see all of jockeys get involved with. It is not that I want to be the only person out there meeting the public. I love it when Davey (Wilson and Anthony (Steven) go with me to an event.” said Wright.
With a room full of top notch jockeys at Hastings Racecourse, there should be no reason why every rider should not be involved in showing the public what great athletes they really are.
As for what Wright would enjoy doing in the near future?
“I would seriously love to become a jockeys representative at Hastings.” smiled Wright.
Jockey Nicola Wright