STANDARDBRED HORSE SALE

6 of 10
Northwood Bloodstock Agency has sold
SIX OF THE TEN HIGHEST PRICED RACEHORSES
ever sold at public auction
NO OTHER AGENCY HAS SOLD MORE THAN ONE!
In the last 15 years NORTHWOOD BLOODSTOCK AGENCY
has sold more horses at the Harrisburg Mixed Sale
than any other agency... there must be a reason.
Now Accepting Entries To The
STANDARDBRED HORSE SALE
Harrisburg, PA – November 12 & 13, 2010
Bob Boni
Northwood Bloodstock Agency
201-863-2082 | fax: 201-863-4104
www.northwoodbloodstock.com | Email: [email protected]
P.O. Box 2053 Secaucus, New Jersey 07096
THE NUMBER ONE BLOODSTOCK AGENCY FOR YOUR MIXED ENTRIES
Come
Together
It’s the title of one of The Beatles most iconic hit songs and could well serve
as the mantra for Sue LeSLIe who is certainly doing her part to bring all
factions of Ontario’s often-fractious horse racing community together.
By Heather MacKay Roberts
Sue Leslie understands the
value of working together as a
team. It's the only way she ensures
that all aspects of her life run
smoothly and she is trying to pass
that same philosophy to the horse
racing industry.
She’s had to learn to operate
efficiently given her various roles.
A well known Thoroughbred
owner and trainer, she serves as
the Chair of the Ontario Horse
Racing Industry Association, President of the Ontario division of the
Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, Chair of the
Fort Erie Thoroughbred Horse Racing Consortia, a steward of the
Jockey Club Of Canada and a director of LongRun, the Thoroughbred
retirement association.
The main reason she’s involved
in so many different aspects of the
horse racing industry is Ontario is
because she is so passionate about it.
“Sue Leslie is the ultimate professional,” praised Hugh Mitchell
whom Leslie succeeded as Chair at
OHRIA a year ago. “I would gladly
work on any board she is affiliated
with as she’s such a hard worker
and simply cares so much about the
horses and the industry.
“Sue is a great listener who is
highly principled, and she possesses
the leadership skills needed for the
job.”
More recently, Leslie took on
another role at OHRIA, that of President, replacing Hector Clouthier
who announced his intention of
returning to politics.
It wasn’t that Leslie was looking for something else to do, she
was busy enough preparing her
good three-year-old filly for the
Woodbine Oaks, one of the premier events on the racing calendar
at Woodbine.
Leslie, who was born in Hamilton, Ontario and lived in Texas and
Florida for several years, first
became involved in horse racing
more than three decades ago when
she and her husband, who ran a
plumbing business, decided to get
involved in ownership.
“We’d been casual fans for a
number of years,” she explained.
“My husband liked to bet and I’ve
always been a big animal lover. We
built a farm in 1984 and I was
involved in the running of that on
a day to day basis, we still had the
plumbing business as well.”
The farm was sold when Sue’s
husband passed and she became
involved in the training of her
horses, sending out her first winner
in 1997. Since that time she’s added
to her barn and currently trains 18
at Woodbine with several others
on a farm.
“I’m trying to cut back the
numbers a bit so I can devote more
time to industry issues,” said Leslie
who has a home in south Florida
where she stays during part of the
winter each year.
She had a top year in 2001
thanks to Millennium Allstar who
Photo by Michael Burns
COME TOGETHER
won the Achievement Stakes and finished
second in the Queenston Stakes and Plate
Trial but was a disappointing eighth in the
Queen’s Plate.
What sets her apart from many of her
fellow conditioners is the fact that she
shares ownership of all of the horses in her
barn.
“I think that provides reassurance for
the owners. They know that I will make
the best decisions I possibly can for their
horses as I’m as invested as they are and it
shows them I’m truly a part of the team.”
One of her long time owners who is
very familiar with teamwork is Curtis
Joseph, known as Cujo, a former goalie
with the Toronto Maple Leafs and now
retired.
“I was training for Gary Leeman who
was playing in the NHL at the time and his
agent was Don Meehan, who was also
Curtis’s agent,” Sue explained. “He
brought them to the barn and Curtis fell in
love with the horses. I’ve had horses for
him since 1992 and we’ve become good
friends.
“He understands horses very well
because their dispositions and injuries are
so much like hockey players that he gets
it,” she said in a story in The Globe And
July/August 2010 • The Harness Edge
Former NHLer Curtis Joseph has been a long time partner of Sue Leslie's and he's
shown here at this year's draw for the Woodbine Oaks holding the name of his
homebred filly Moment Of Majesty who lost the race by a nose. Alongside is the
guest drawmaster, Olympic medalist Joannie Rochette.
Mail by Beverley Smith. “He’s very passionate about the business. He probably
knows pedigrees better than I do.”
This year Leslie, Joseph and Meehan
are racing the impressive filly bred by
Joseph, Moment Of Majesty who narrowly lost the Woodbine Oaks on June 13,
losing by a nose at the wire. “That was
heart breaking,” Sue said.
They also ran the diminutive lass in
the Queen’s Plate this year, watched over
by Queen Elizabeth and it would have
been fitting for the filly to come through
given her name, but it wasn’t to be her day
and she finished eighth.
Leslie first became involved in the
politics of the industry in the mid 1990s,
prior to the installation of slots at the
province’s racetracks.
“I thought then, as I do know, that
the business was far too fractured. There
wasn’t enough co-operation or a sense of
working together for one common goal.
The industry needed to unite and the
more I became involved the more frustrated I became.
“They didn’t seem to be making any
headway and there didn’t seem to be any
willingness to put aside personal issues to
work together so I stepped away for awhile.
“I simply observed for a few years and
by 2000 a few things had changed so I was
ready to become more involved again. By
that point there was no shortage of
money thanks to the slots and I was at a
different point in my life that I had the
time to invest.
“There had been many changes and
people seemed to be working better
together. In the past financing had always
been an issue but that had changed
thanks to the slots.
“The naysayers will say that OHRIA
hasn’t accomplished anything but that’s
ridiculous. The bottom line is that OHRIA
has been able to move the industry forward in terms of the pari-mutuel tax
reduction and slots and has been one
BREED TO SELL?
BREED TO RACE?
WE BREED TO WIN!!
Selling On September 11-12 at The Canadian Sale
Flamboro Downs, Dundas, Ontario
69 Kendal Grace b.f.
Life Sign – Dexters Magician – Dexter Nukes
109 Kendal Glamorous br.f.
Life Sign – Armbro Cherish – Camluck
126 Kendal Gucci br.f.
Life Sign – Sweetie Gonzalez – Big Towner
290 Kendal Gustav b.c.
Life Sign – City Of Dreams – Dragons Lair
Selling As Agent…
90 Amiga Valley br.f.
Amigo Hall – Crystas Chip – Pine Chip
141 Signora Bella Vita b.f.
Life Sign – Lady Micbri – Artiscape
179 Limbabean br.f.
Peruvian Hanover – Jazz Music Fund – Fundamentalist
204 Buckshot N Bullets br.c.
Million Dollar Cam – Tassagh – Apaches Fame
For more information please visit:
9661 Trew Road, R.R.#1, Campbellcroft, ON L0A 1B0
(905) 797-2124 • Fax (905) 797-2081
Website: www.kendalhills.com • Email: [email protected]
voice for the industry in the eyes of the
government.
“There are still groups that exist that
believe they can take their own agendas
to the government regarding horse racing
issues. The people will be polite and listen
to them but that gains nothing and it’s
potentially dangerous,” she warned.
“The role of OHRIA is to act as that
voice to the government on behalf of
everyone involved in racing. What those
at the table need to understand is that
sometimes their own personal issues need
to be set aside and we sometimes have to
make hard decisions. But ultimately they
are the ones for the best of the industry.
“We need to speak to the government as one voice for all breeds and be
united. The government does listen when
we do that. We’re in partnership with the
government and they need to be convinced that we’re worthy of the money
we’re currently receiving, the slot revenue is instrumental to our survival.”
Leslie relates OHRIA’s role to that of
her shed foreman. “I can’t have all of my
staff coming to me with 15 different ideas
on what needs to be done. There needs to
be one person assigned to say ‘Sue, we all
agree we need a new truck’ or whatever it
is and I know that person speaks for the
team. The government is the same way,
they want one voice speaking for the
industry. It’s a pretty common sense
approach.”
Over the past couple of years OHRIA
has been busy helping to facilitate extensions of the slot agreements between the
Ontario government and each of the
province's racetracks with slots.
“The OHRIA board is a very dedicated
group but they all need the support of the
groups they are representing at the table.
A leader is only as good as the pack behind
them. The split of the Standardbred horsemen presented a challenge and was an
issue for awhile but we seem to be working through that and building a rapport
between all parties.”
Moving forward, Leslie believes the
emphasis needs to be placed on better
communication between the regulators
and the industry.
“I believe there needs to be more
interaction and regular contact between
the Ontario Racing Commission, Ontario
July/August 2010 • The Harness Edge
Photo by Michael Burns
COME TOGETHER
The star of Leslie's stable this year has been the three-year-old filly Moment
Of Majesty.
Lottery Corporation and the Canadian
Pari-Mutuel Agency and the industry.
We’re all in this together. There should be
ongoing dialogue and I would like to see
representatives all in the room at one time
working together discussing issues of concern to all.
“The relationship is no different than
a friendship or a marriage. There needs to
be respectful and meaningful communication in order for the relationship to succeed and grow stronger.
“Part of my job is to mend relationships. I want to improve how all the
groups in the industry work together.
We’re most effective when we’re united
and there’s too much at stake and too
much competition to allow individual
complaints and issues to get in the way.
Sometimes people have to give a little for
the overall good.
“I like to think that I am able to put
the best interests of the industry at the
forefront. When we put one party’s interests ahead of another is when we get into
trouble. There might be something that
comes up that may not be the first choice
of the Thoroughbred horse people, but if
it is better for the overall business, then
we need to go along. At the end of the
day it’s not helpful if just one segment of
the industry is doing well.
“I know in my heart that if the industry doesn’t work together the declines will
continue and the industry will struggle to
survive.”
There are many issues facing racing
that Leslie feels the industry needs to be
looking at, some which fall under OHRIA’s
mandate, others which do not. They
include changes to the income tax laws,
“Part of my job is to mend relationships. I want to
improve how all the groups in the industry work
together. We’re most effective when we’re united and
there’s too much at stake and too much competition
to allow individual complaints and issues to get in
the way. Sometimes people have to give a little for
the overall good.”
specifically Section 31, race dates which
she believes is a critical one, new forms of
betting to be introduced, and marketing.
“It also concerns me that the industry
does not have a strategic plan. There
needs to be a single message from the
industry in response to issues such as horse
slaughter. Public perception of the industry is crucial and a strategic plan would
address that.”
Leslie is very receptive to hearing
from those involved in racing. “My door is
always open. I want to hear any ideas or
suggestions for improvements.”
With everything Leslie has on her
plate, it’s a wonder she has time in a day to
see to it all. Luckily, the hectic pace suits her.
“I’m an early riser. I usually work for a
couple of hours before I go to the barn.
I’m there for three to four hours and then
the rest of the day is devoted to industry
issues. Sometimes that’s seven days a
week. Fortunately, I like to be busy. I love
the industry and want to do my part.” 롫
Photos by New Image Media
NOW THAT’S FILLY POWER!!
Mccall Magic
EastEr BonnEt
115. MISS
MAJESTIC b.f.
225. ENDA
THE HALL b.f.
Majestic Son-Gypsys Bonnie-Cumin
Angus Hall-Fin De Maye-King Conch
From the first crop of Majestic Son, a half-sister to OSS winner
EASTER BONNET 2,1:58.4s, 3,1:58.1f, 4,1:56.1f-‘10 ($184,933)
and BONNIE RONNIE 4,1:58s ($47,190). From 100 per cent
producer GYPSYS BONNIE 3,Q2:02.1s, 4,1:59h ($83,763).
First foal from stakes placed FIN DE MAYE 2,2:04h,
3,1:58.4f ($39,712), a half-sister to CBC and OSS Gold winner
MCCALL MAGIC 2,2:02h, 3,1:55.1s ($483,263).
Both fillies are well conformed and athletic. We invite your inspection.
Selling at The Canadian Yearling Sale, Sept. 11-12 at Standardbred Canada Sales Pavilion
at Flamboro Downs, Dundas, Ontario
Consigned by Dr. Keith Colquhoun (agent), 5151 Wellington Rd. 29, R.R.5, Rockwood, Ontario N0B 2K0
(519) 856-4040
The Harness Edge • July/August 2010