Horse Racing Hall of Fame Announces 2021 Ballot
Admin • March 30, 2021
The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame 2021 ballot has some strong ties to Alberta!
Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame 2021 Finalists and Alberta Connections
On the Thoroughbred Builder ballot, Edmonton born Charles E. Fipke is nominated after involvement in the Canadian Thoroughbred industry for almost forty years. He is one of the most successful Canadians campaigning in major races in the U.S and has bred and owned many highly successful racehorses including the three Sovereign Award winners, Not Bourbon, Impossible Time and Perfect Soul. In addition, he has bred and owned Grade 1 winners Perfect Shirl, Forever Unbridled, Bee Jersey, Lemons Forever, Seeking the Soul, Jersey Town, Tale of Ekati and Lady Speightspeare.
On the Thoroughbred Male Horse ballot, both Fatal Bullet and Heart to Heart are nominated. Fatal Bullet is owned by Albertan Danny Dion and his Bear Stables. Fatal Bullet was one of Canada’s fastest sprinters and was voted Canada’s Horse of the Year in 2008. The Red Bullet son placed second in the 2008 Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint and earned a record of the second fastest time in the history of the race. The multiple graded stakes winning gelding earned $1.377 Million in his race career with wins in five stakes.
The English Channel stallion, Heart to Heart, was bred by Albertan Darrell Bauder of Cochrane and his Red Hawk Ranch. The multiple grades stakes winner is owned by Lethbridge resident, Terry Hamilton. Heart to Heart was a $25,000 CTHS sale purchase and went on to be named a Sovereign Award champion as a three year old. His career spanned seven seasons with wins in the Grade 1 Maker’s 46 Mile Stakes and the Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Turf Stakes earn over $2 Million as a seven year old. Heart to Heart is now retired to stud at Crestwood Farm in Kentucky where his first reported foal was born this January.
The stallion Formal Gold has been nominated to the Thoroughbred Veteran Category. Formal Gold moved from California and stood at stud in western Canada at Esquirol Farms in Ryley, Alberta for a number of years until his passing in 2018. The multiple grades stakes winner is one of the fastest Canadian bred racehorses by speed figures and received an Equibase rating of 136, which is one of the highest in history. At stud, he sired progeny with earnings of nearly 16 Million including 19 stakes winners and was named to the leading sires list numerous times.
A total of 18 people and horses comprised of nine Standardbred and nine Thoroughbred candidates have been selected to appear on the voting ballot. A 20-person Election Committee for each breed will determine the one individual to be inducted in each category, with the results to be announced on Tuesday, April 13th.
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The Western Canadian Derby Series is back and bigger than ever for 2025!
🏇 $100,000 Derby Bonus for any 3-year-old who sweeps the Manitoba Derby (Aug 4), Canadian Derby (Aug 23), and BC Derby (Sept 13) – now all back in the lineup!
💰 Plus, a $25,000 Owner-Trainer Bonus is up for grabs based on points earned across all three races
#horseracingalberta #albertaracing #ridersup #FeelTheRush #bestinthewest
Equineline and T.I.P. today announced the launch of a new report centered on Thoroughbreds in their second careers.
Dual-Breed Dream: Thoroughbred Jockey Omar Moreno Finds New Passion In Standardbreds
While Moreno will continue to be active in Thoroughbred racing, his wintertime passion for harness racing has given him a deeper appreciation for all horses
Chris Lomon/Woodbine Communications21 hours ago
The public comment period for the proposed countermeasures, with feedback from business, stakeholders, and Canadians regarding their impacts has been extended to April 2nd.
Once again, we strongly encourage all industry stakeholders to submit their input through this comment submission form and request an exemption to the Canadian tariffs for purebred breeding and racing horses at https://forms-formulaires.alpha.canada.ca/en/id/cm7upmkx9008rx268zhy9l6pj.
Please make sure you make a note of the following HS Tariff Items in your exemption request:
HS Tariff Item 0101.21.00 Pure-bred breeding animals
HS Tariff Item 0101.29.00.20 – Other For Racing
From the racetrack to the show ring! Code, the first foal out of Crimson Deed by Omega Code, retired sound after his racing career and found a new purpose with a dedicated young rider from High River. Given the time and patience OTTBs need to transition, Carol built a strong bond with him before training for his second career. Now, they’re gearing up for their next big challenge—a show at Spruce Meadows from March 13-16. A true testament to the versatility and heart of Alberta-breds!
Alberta’s breeding industry is thriving, with qualifying stallion owners sharing in an impressive $85,000 in breeding awards for the 2024 season! The Horse Racing Alberta Breed Improvement Program Stallion Bonus rewarded 34 stallions at a rate of 3.25%, building on the momentum of 2023’s $75,000 at 3.26%—a testament to the growing success of Alberta-sired runners.
Cape Canaveral topped the Stallion Bonus leaderboard with an impressive $13,969 payout, followed by Fed Biz ($8,217), It’s No Joke ($6,486), Saturdaynitelites ($5,509), and Imperialism ($5,120), solidifying their impact on Alberta’s breeding scene. With Alberta-sired winners making their mark on the track, the future of the province’s breeding program has never looked brighter!
If you visit Anne Kursinski’s Market Street facility in Frenchtown, New Jersey, you might notice a striking bay gelding with a broad blaze and four white socks being ridden by one of her students or her partner, Carol Hoffman. You might wonder about his breeding—until you remember that for Kursinski, a member of the Show Jumping Hall of Fame, nothing can beat a good Thoroughbred.
“I am a huge fan of the Thoroughbreds, no question,” said Kursinski, 65, who famously rode ex-race horse Eros to team silver at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. “Thoroughbreds are intelligent and athletic, brave and light.”
The newest Thoroughbred in her life—Bobby Socks, so named in honor of his four white socks—became part of the Market Street family in 2022, after a chance conversation at a horse show between Kursinski and her longtime friend and retired show jumper Mary Chapot.
“Mary said they had this Thoroughbred that was too slow for Laura [Chapot, Mary’s daughter], and she thought maybe we’d like to take a look,” Kursinski recal
🏇✨ Off-the-track Thoroughbreds (OTTBs) are the ultimate comeback stars! With their athleticism, heart, and resilience, they thrive in second careers like eventing, show jumping, dressage, and even therapy work. 🏆💖 Their spirit and work ethic make them incredible partners for life, proving that retirement is just the start of something great!
Here’s two Alberta bred older OTTB having some playful fun in the Mane Attractions arena near Olds where they are now boarded!
2025 Stallion News – Malibu Moon son MOONSHINE NOW
Malibu Moon son MOONSHINE NOW is standing at Copper Kettle Performance Horses for the 2025 season. Champion Sire Malibu Moon is one of A.P. Indy’s most successful progeny to enter stud. Moonshine Now is out of Ask Me When by Champion sire Speighstown. Ask Me When comes from an impressive female line that has produced multiple black type runners including a full sibling that earned over $500,000 on the racetrack featuring a graded stakes performance.
This lineage is further highlighted by Grade 1 winner and millionaire Honey Rider among other champions on the track.
Moonshine Now raced from 2 through 7, earning over $100,000 on the track. The 2017 stallion will be standing at Copper Kettle Performance Horses in Didsbury, Alberta for a stud fee of $2,000. Contact Don or Kerry Johnston at 403-586-4462 or email copperkettlephs@hotmail.com for further information.
Three key programs designed to strengthen and grow the Thoroughbred breeding and racing community in Alberta. These initiatives are tailored to support our breeders, enhance and grow the local horse racing industry, and incentivize the breeding of high-quality Thoroughbreds in our province