The third decade opened with Taylor’s Swift’s release of ‘1989’, which went on to be one of the best-selling albums of the decade, Malaysian airline flight 370 mysteriously disappeared and racing fans voted California Chrome’s win in the 140th Kentucky Derby the top racing moment of 2014.
SMART FIX ran the first race of her career at Northlands, Jimmy Fallon took over the Tonight show and a 37 year drought was ended when American Pharaoh won the Triple Crown in 2015. The CTHS Alberta sale graduate SMART FIX went on to race for seven seasons and earned the title of 2019 Champion Alberta bred and Horse of the Year.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle got engaged in 2017 and REGAL MAX completed his debut race season with a win in the Two Year Old Sales Stakes at Northlands Park. The multiple stakes winning runner was bred by Stone Ranches and was named Alberta Champion Three Year Old Colt in 2018. REGAL MAX retired from racing in 2022 with 45 starts, 10 wins, 11 seconds, 3 thirds and $287,648 in earnings. Century Downs Racetrack and Casino brought ‘A’ Track racing back to Alberta when it opened its doors to the Thoroughbreds in September.
Northlands Park closed to live Thoroughbred racing in 2018 after 118 years of racing in the same location since the track opened in 1900. The Alberta bred JASPER SHINE was sold to Japanese interests the same year, and started a successful racing career in Japan in 2019 with a win in the Upopoi Stakes. The Highfield bred runner has $244,616 in earnings with 7 wins, 4 seconds and 4 thirds from 36 starts.
The first known case of COVID-19 was discovered in Wuhan, China and spread worldwide resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. Century Mile Racetrack and Casino officially opened for live Thoroughbred racing in 2019 and became the only one mile racetrack in western Canada.
DANCE SHOES won her first race in 2020 at Century Mile Racetrack and Casino and went on to be named the 2022 Alberta Champion and Horse of the Year. In her four years of racing to date, DANCE SHOES has been has won six stakes races including back to back Alberta Fall Classic Distaff Handicaps and has a record of 15 races from 34 starts with career earnings of $318,887. The Mank sired mare was bred by James McFadyen and is owned by Mohamad Khan. For the first time since the end of WWII, the Kentucky Derby did not take place on the first Saturday in May when it was postponed until September due to the Coronavirus.
Queen Elizabeth II died in England on September 8th, 2022 after reigning for 70 years, Elon Musk bought Twitter, Inventing Anna became one of the most popular Netflix series and it was the 50th anniversary of the Space Shuttle program. Big Hug was named Champion 2022 Two Year Old Filly for her success in the season with wins in the Princess Margaret Stakes, the Sturgeon River Stakes and the CTHS Sales Stakes. The CTHS Alberta sale graduate has a record of 13 starts, 7 wins, 3 seconds and 1 third with US $195,088 in earnings to date.
Also racing during this decade: 2019 – DUNE D’ORO (Lifetime earnings of $232,702), 2019 - GREEK GEEK (Lifetime Earnings of $346,510), 2016 – SAVEITFORARAINYDAY (Lifetime Earnings of $269,494), 2017 – SHIMSHINE (Lifetime Earnings of $312,856), 2020 - THERE’S NO JOE (Lifetime Earnings of $358,570).
*Disclaimer- Horses for each decade were chosen for that decade based on the first year they raced and ranked according to lifetime earnings. It is possible that depending on how they are viewed they may fit into more than one decade. We leave it to the “People” to decide which decade they feel these Alberta bred horses best fit.
