BC Racebook Newsletter - May 31, 2022
We have 4 more racing Mondays this season at Fraser Downs. Come join us at the track! if you can’t make it, you can wager from your phone at HPIbet.com.
Bailey on the Backstretch : One Fifty One a.k.a. Kevin
By Bailey Williams
It was on May 12, 1995 when a mare by the name of Sky Borne was foaled. She would go on to become successful on track and in the breeding shed. As Sky Borne grew older and a little more stubborn, a young boy – Joshua McNeil - came along in her life and a long-lasting ‘best friend’ relationship developed.
Barely shoulder height to the mare, Josh would be sent out to the field to gather Sky Borne and bring her back to her evening stall. When Tricky Mind, the daughter of Sky Borne had her first foal to sell, it was apparent that Josh, now a grown young man, would be part of the horse’s future.
As fate would have it, hip #58 (Texas Wildcatter-Tricky Mind) in the 2019 CTHS-BC September Sale was listed as Reserve Not Attained (RNA). That’s when Josh made his move to privately purchase hip #58 and name him One Fifty One.
Better known around the backstretch as ‘Kevin’, One Fifty One would go on to break not only his maiden but first-time owner/trainer Josh’s maiden as well. June 15, 2021 is a day that will be remembered in his career as it continues to grow.
The bond between trainer and horse is clearly witnessed daily. The love of a single broodmare went on have a ripple effect in starting a young 21-year-old’s career. Kevin made his 2022 debut on May 29 at Hastings with James Chau aboard to finish 5th in an eight-horse field. We wish Josh & One Fifty One great success in the years to come!
2021 Hastings Thoroughbred Award Winners
Open Horse of the Year Winner - Infinite Patience
photo credit by Sarah Bennet
Fun Facts About Surprise Kentucky Derby Champion Rich Strike
Rich Strike, he won the 2022 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve in a shocking 80.80-1 upset, making him the second-biggest longshot to win the race in history. Rich Strike bypassed The Preakness Stakes, he will run in the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets on June 11, 2022.
-Nickname: Richie
-Favorite Treat: Carrots
-What's he like in the stall vs. on the racetrack: In the stall, he's nice and calm, totally relaxed. His true personality doesn't shine until he's on the track. Then he knows it's game time.
-Does he like to nap: Every day around 11:30 or 12:00, his groom Jerry will lay two shaving bags down in front of his stall and take a nap on them. At the same time, Rich Strike will lie down in his stall and take a nap too!
-Tricks or Quirks: He likes to play with his lips and nose, but not when the cameras are around. He's a little camera shy!
Story written by Isabella Leslie
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Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in Hastings Racecourse winner’s circle with wife Brianne (left) and trainer Barbara Heads
‘The Nudge’ Loves to Talk Racing
Even at These Challenging Hockey Times
By Greg Douglas – Dr. Sport
Through these tense Stanley Cup times for Burnaby-born Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of the Edmonton Oilers, one of his great escapes emotionally comes in the form of almost daily phone or text conversations with a buddy in Vancouver. And rarely do they talk about hockey.
“We talk horses,” says Mike Heads. “It’s been that way since we first met.”
That would be shortly after Ryan bought his first horse (Zenya) at the 2012 CTHS-BC Yearling Sale when he was just 18, his rookie season with the Oilers. The Ryan & Mike bonding as pals was inevitable. Again, the ‘family ties’ history in horse racing comes into play. Mike’s wife Barbara, one of the top tier trainers annually at Hastings, is the daughter of the late R.G. (Cy) and June Anderson, who enjoyed 45 illustrious years in the racing industry.
“Ryan’s mother Debbie and father Roger travelled quite a bit with Barb’s parents to Santa Anita when Roger bred and owned horses in the 1980s and 90s,” Mike relates. “When Ryan started in the business of owning horses, he went to Barb for advice. They’ve had a great rapport right from the start.”
A great rapport … and great success. Look no further than Infinite Patience, co-owned by Nugent-Hopkins and breeder William DeCoursey, named earlier this week as 2021 BC Horse of the Year to go along with the same accomplishment in 2019 after winning all five of her starts that year, four of those being stake races. In 15 career starts, Infinite Patience has scored 10 wins, one second and one third with career earnings closing in on $400,000.
Besides co-owning Infinite Patience, Ryan’s R.N.H. Stable has Kapula Candy (daughter of Zenya and a winner already this season at Hastings) and Senawar, who finished a game fourth last weekend. Mike Heads is one of the most active individuals on the grounds at Hastings Racecourse. He works with Barb in the barns, he’s Executive Secretary of the Thoroughbred Owners & Breeders Association, an expert pre-race handicapper and a walking, talking PR man for the sport. Obviously, you can add Ryan Nugent-Hopkins as an appreciated confidant for an elite hockey star who is the longest-serving player on the current Edmonton Oilers roster.
“Ryan hopes to be back at Hastings later this summer when Infinite Patience will be running here,” Mike says. And that thrills Barb Heads to no end. “Ryan really gets excited when he talks about horse racing,” Barb has said in the past. “It’s definitely in his blood. He’s become a student of the game. He’s very sharp and a quick learner. He’s on top of a horse’s breeding and wants to know how mares are producing and how studs are doing.
“But more than anything, he is such a good guy.”
Greener Pastures – BC Standardbred Horse Adoption Society is a non-profit organization founded in 2003. Here at Greener Pastures our goal is to find long term forever homes for retired race horses. We wish to accomplish this by giving these horses a solid foundation in their new careers and placing them into homes that are suitable for them as they begin their new life with their new families.
The Standardbred is an ideal recreational horse with a calm disposition,sensible mind and a friendly outlook! These are the attributes that have enabled Greener Pastures to adopt out over 50 horses per year. These numbers alone are testament to the suitability of the Standardbred as a riding horse.
BC RACEBOOK GALLERY
HBPA Newsletter A ‘Must Read’
HBPABC is governed by the Societies Act of British Columbia. It is a member of the HBPA Canada and is affiliated with the HBPA National, headquartered in the United States.